The Inebriated Misinterpretation
by LauraRoslinForever-Janeway25
Summary: During girl's night, two months after SIK, Penny and Bernadette are on a drunken mission to help Amy get her man. But will Sheldon go for it?
1. Chapter 1

_**Authors Note: I don't own them. I unfortunately get no profit. Thank you to my bestie, Melissa for helping me brainstorm some Shamy inspiration. I always love girl's night on TBBT and have been hoping for one after SIK but, alas nadda. So if the mountain won't come to Muhammad… ;) Enjoy.**_

The Inebriated Misinterpretation

Chapter One

"Okay, Ames give. What is it like?" Penny slugged back half a glass of red wine, before looking back expectantly to Amy.

It was Saturday night and it had been two months since Sheldon and Amy started implementing kissing into their date nights. Amy grinned remembering a few unscheduled kisses, initiated by Sheldon himself.

Bernadette sat up from her makeshift bed on the floor, pick up her wine glass and giggled and in a sing-song voice said, "By the look on her face I'd say it's downright hot." She made a sort of growling noise in the back of her throat.

"Ommmm..." Amy blinked, and tried to look mortified– as if she's never fantasized about making out with her boyfriend. Would they really understand with so much more experience than her? "Well it's... wonderful, amazing, and the skill of his lips leave no doubt they'll soon work their magic just as effectively on the other places of my body."

Bernadette looked stunned.

Penny sat back and waved her hands. "So wait, have you guys frenched yet?"

"No," she admitted, ruefully. Amy lay back on her pillows, but she misjudged the distance head and her head hit the floor. Amy sighed. Damn, she was drunk. "I've had entirely too much to drink."

Penny crawled over beside Amy. "You clearly haven't had enough! You've been kissing for what now?"

"Two months."

"Two months!" Penny exclaimed, in a voice that could wake the building. "Two months, and you haven't stuck your tongue down his throat?"

Amy raised her head to look at her friends. "You think I should?"

"Yes!" Penny and Bernadette cried in unison.

Bernadette nodded. "Yeah, Amy, sometimes you just gotta take control. Howie really loves it when I do it. Gosh, I'm squirming just thinking about it." There was that growling sound again.

Penny frowned, and pointed at the blonde. "Okay, you've _definitely_ had too much to drink."

Bernie ignored Penny, and waggled her eyebrows suggestively at Amy. "He's just right across the hall. Go get some, sista'!"

Amy sat up quickly her gaze going to the door then back to her friends.

Penny's eyes went wide as saucers. "Oooo, yes!"

Amy chewed nervously on her lower lip. "But he's probably asleep."

Penny stood up abruptly. "It's okay, I have a key!" Without taking her eyes off Amy, Penny reached for the wine, poured herself another glass and topped up Amy's and Bernadette's at the same time.

Penny got back down beside them, tapping her glass to the others. "Drink up, Ames. I have a feeling you're gonna need all the liquid courage you can get."

"Cheers," Bernie grinned.

Amy was tempted to tell them this was not going to work and it was only going to get her in a lot of trouble with her boyfriend. However, she was sick and tired of behaving like a good little girl, so she picked up her glass and slugged down the entire contents in one go, then held her glass out for more.

Penny laughed. "That's the spirit. We'll get you some french action yet."

"Soooo, how do I do this?"

Penny was up and off the floor, tugging on Amy's arm. "First things first. Come with me."

Penny was an irresistible force and there was no way, in her current state of inebriation that Amy was going to be able to stop her. She had a very bad feeling about this. It was wrong on so many levels but thanks to Mr. Pinot and his buddy Mr. Mascoto, she was beyond making any sort of informed decision and surely, she thought, it wouldn't be so bad?

Her blonde bestie dragged her to her bedroom and began pulling through her vast selection of clothes from her wardrobe. "Hmm, what will turn on the sexless Dr. Cooper?"

Bernie who followed behind, giggled pulling Amy down to sit on the bed beside her.

She held up a particularly barely there dress and Amy looked at Penny in horror. "No, way." Amy shook her head vehemently.

Penny rolled her eyes, throwing the dress aside. She stood there, tapping her lips with her forefinger as the outfits scrolled past.

"Maybe just a cute pair of pajamas?" Bernadette suggested.

Amy looked down at her nightgown. "What's wrong with this?"

Penny and Bernadette exchanged a knowing look.

Penny sat beside her friend. "There's nothing wrong with it, sweetie… but maybe if Sheldon saw a bit more skin it might..."

"Encourage him." Bernie supplied.

"Yes. That's it." Penny nodded and jumping up she stumbled over to her dresser. "Oh, I've got it!"

After a few moments, penny exclaimed in triumph."Aha!" Grabbing it, Penny tossed the material to her friend.

Amy was afraid to look, but girding her loins, she picked up the nightgown and held it by the shoulders. It was a long sleeveless cotton nightgown and it was a lovely shade of lavender. Holding it against herself she managed to grab a quick glance of it in the mirror before Bernadette snatched it from her and they herded her into the bathroom.

"Okay, get changed. We'll wait out here."

Amy shook her head and tried to leave the bathroom. "I don't think this is a very good idea."

"Nonsense, what boyfriend wouldn't like to get woken up by a kiss from his girlfriend?" Bernadette argued.

Amy gave them a knowing look and grumbled. "We are talking about Sheldon."

"It'll be okay. He needs to learn sooner or later what a girlfriend is for." Penny closed the door, leaving Amy in the bathroom, the echo of their footsteps going back to the living room.

Amy contemplated the rather dour looking woman in the mirror and pulled a face. Her friends were right; she wanted to be desired. She wanted Sheldon to desire her. It was time for his reality check.

She stripped off her clothes and pulled on the nightgown Penny gave her. The door burst open and Penny was there with a chair and another glass of wine.

"Here, I'm got an idea for more ammunition," she then shoved Amy into the chair and the glass of wine in her hand. "And some more courage."

"I don't think I could drink another drop without …dropping."

Penny waved her hand dismissively. "You'll be fine." She took a swig from her glass and gave her the once over. "Nice arms, Ames!"

Amy sipped her wine and smiled as Penny began searching for something. The woman was a one-person steamroller but it was a relief not to have to think about anything or be the one making the decisions. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

All too soon Penny had Amy's hair up in what Amy could guess was a curly mess. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. "Penny, I can't go over there like this."

The door was flung open again and Bernadette whistled soundlessly and gave her a nod. "Wow, Amy! You never told us you were rockin' a hot bod under all that wool!"

Amy blushed at their compliments.

Penny spun her around so she could see herself in the mirror. Both girls peered over Amy's shoulder, smiling.

Amy had to admit the gown was flattering. It was a very simple design. A low-scooped neck in front, thin straps connected a figure-hugging top that fell at the hips to fall to about mid calf.

Picking up both glasses of wine, Penny handed Amy hers.

Bernadette raised her glass. "Here's to success and French kissing. May you have both. Go get 'em girl." They tapped their glasses together; all downed the contents in one drink.

"Ready?" Penny asked an eyebrow arching.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you for the reads and reviews! Keep 'em coming!**_

Chapter 2

_Bernadette raised her glass. __"__Here__'__s to success and French kissing. May you have both. Go get __'__em girl.__" __They tapped their glasses together; all downed the contents in one drink._

"_Ready?__"__ Penny asked an eyebrow arching. _

Amy gave a decisive nod and, after three tries, scooped up her glasses before Penny dragged her out of the apartment and into the hallway.

Bernadette was waiting at the guy's door and had her ear up against it. "Are you sure they're both asleep?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, Leonard's good and out by now. Don't worry."

Amy turned to Penny in a panic. "I can't do this. He's going to flip out!" She hissed, her voice rising in a high pitch.

"Shhhh." Penny held a finger up to her lips and then grabbed Amy by the shoulders. "Ames, listen to me. He will not freak out. Here's the plan... Just go in, get in bed with him..."

"Have you lost your mind?" Amy squealed again, earning her a "shush" from both her friends.

Penny wobbled giving Amy a chagrined look. "You're gonna wake him up before you even get through the door. Just go in there and kiss him!"

"But-"

"No buts, now come on, you're already late."

"Sheldon doesn't know I'm coming, how can I be late?"

"You're almost four years too late. Now get a move on."

Bernadette leapt out of the way and Penny unlocked door. She grabbed Amy's hand and marched her into the darkened apartment. With the wise words of, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." she hugged Amy, patted her hair into place, and ran quietly out of the apartment.

Any wasn't sure what to do. She'd been abandoned. Penny hadn't said anything about this in her plan. In fact, now that she thought about it, there hadn't really been a plan, other than the notion that she needed to go 'get some.'

Amy unsure of what to do went over to Sheldon's spot and sat quiet reflection for a few moments. Well, sitting here achieved absolutely nothing. Her and Sheldon were so much closer to some sort of resolution than they had been in years. What she couldn't understand was why she let her friends talk her into this.

When she thought about it like that, it made her want to scream. She was going to grow old waiting for boyfriend to make another move. Time was marching inexorably onward and if she didn't do something about it now, it would trample her along the way. What was the point of it all if she couldn't completely share her life with someone she loved?

For all her promises and assertions, could she really wait forever; was selfish of her to assume that he would want her if she just pushed a bit? They both wanted the same things, they wanted each other, and they... loved one another. She was sure of it. What better basis for a relationship was there?

Amy sighed and took a look at the starlit sky out the windows.

There was no time like the present. Having him by her side over the last few months, hadn't interfered with their work, in fact, it had enhanced it. How could it be wrong?

Amy stood and tiptoed into the hallway. Standing just outside his door she froze with fear. Spinning on her heel, she padded softly back out into the living area.

She silently stomped her foot. She was such a coward! A curly lock of hair fell into her face causing her to groan. She grabbed a hold of the clip holding her hair up and pulled it out, causing waves of curls to come crashing down in her shoulders. Why'd she ever let Penny do that she'll never know?

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. She could do this. What's the worse he could do? '_Throw her out on her ass, is what, Fowler_,' a voice sounding much like her more sensible self assured. '_But not before she can lay one on him_,' drunk Amy's voice countered.

'_He could never kiss you again,_' said the first voice. Again the second voice shook her head. _'He could also want to start kissing you more often.'_

The second voice won.

A shiver ran down her spine as she contemplated her actions, as she thought about what lay ahead of her, her face softened and she smiled. Spinning on her heel, she padded softly back into the hall.

She hesitated only a moment before grabbing the doorknob and turning it so very slowly, as to stave off any sound. Peeking into the room, she could see him lying on his bed, snoring softly, tucked into his normal position in the middle of his bed. She slipped into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

It seemed a shame to wake him. Standing beside the bed, she watched him sleep for a few moments, and then very gently lifted the sheets and slid in beside him. He didn't wake, but rolled over slightly towards her.

Tilting her head to the side, she contemplated his handsome face. When she thought of him, her catalog usually started with his blue eyes, but instead, she started with his chin and worked her way upwards. Firstly, she took note of his chin and his strong jaw. His lips featured prominently in her fantasies. She couldn't wait to feel them on her bare skin and trembled at the thought. Then there was his nose, which leant such character and strength to his gentle face. His eyes were closed but his lashes contrasted darkly against his pale skin.

Amy's hand rose and, with feather light touches; she traced his features as she went along. So engrossed was she with her explorations, she didn't notice his eyes open until he whispered. "Amy?"

Her hand stilled but she didn't snatch it away, instead she rested her palm against the side of his face.

"Sheldon." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"What are you doing?"

Her fingers drifted over his cheek, across his lips, and she could feel his hot breath caress her fingertips.

His eyes were fathomless, and glinting darkly in the soft glow of the streetlights outside. Her hand drifted lower and she placed it over his heart. They were both barely breathing; time seemed to stand still until her words whispered loud into the night. "I love you."

She felt his body tense, his hand rising to cover hers on his chest. "Amy, why-"

This was it. He was going to tell her to leave. She hadn't meant to say what she said, it just came out. It took her so completely by surprise that she made a small whimpering noise and before she knew what was happening; her lips had captured his in a bruising kiss.

Cupping his face between her hands, she kissed him gently, nibbling at his lips before pressing her mouth to his, her tongue sliding between his lips to tease and taste. First hesitant, Sheldon's lips soon softened, giving in and then matching her intensity.

That calm and control that she'd found so comforting gave way to a raging need and wellspring of want. Soon he was lying over her, pressing her into the soft cushioning of his bed, his hips cradled between her thighs. It was heaven.

His lips were dragging down her throat and over her chest. "Dear _lord_, Amy what are you wearing?"

She smiled up at him and hiccupped. "It's Penny's."

Sheldon stared at her for several heartbeats and then kissed her gently and stated profoundly. "You're drunk." Before she could respond, he rolled them onto their sides.

"Sheldon?"

His eyes were dark as he looked at her trying to control his breathing. "Amy, while I don't know the specifics as to how you ended up nearly naked and in my bed, though not completely unpleasant, I'm afraid I can't continue on this current path while you're inebriated."

A protest rose in her throat. "But I feel fine."

"Recite the Gene Theory."

Amy clicked her tongue. "I'd rather just show you the basics of the biological processes."

Amy went to wrap her hand around Sheldon's neck, but he grabbed her hands holding them to his chest. He looked into her eyes, and asked the question that made her stomach drop. "Is this really how you wish for this to happen?"

"No." Her head thudded against his chest and she closed her eyes. The world was spinning unpleasantly and she felt like an idiot. What in the world had possessed her to come here? "I don't feel so good."

She could feel him shake his head and sigh. "Do you need to vomit?"

"No, I just need the room to stop spinning."

Gentle hands swept the hair from her face. Not wanting to look at the disappointment in his eyes, she snuggled into his chest. After a few moments, she asked almost in a whisper, "Are you mad?"

Feeling him take a deep breath, as his chest rose underneath her, she readied herself for what was to come."That's an interesting question," he said. "Am I mad you became so exceptionally intoxicated you let Penny and Bernadette dress you in nearly nothing and send you over here? Yes. Am I mad that you where in cahoots with others involving our _personal_ relationship? A bit, yes. Am I mad I woke up next to a devious vixen from Glendale, who was intent on seducing me...? No, not _mad _per say."

She couldn't help the smile that came to her face. Leaning her head against his shoulder, she let his scent, the warm strength of his arms lull her into unconsciousness. Her last disjointed thought was that she'd worry about the consequences later.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Shamy feels make it nearly impossible to stop writing this. Again, I love reviews, they keep me motivated. *wink, wink* Thanks to my bestie again for helping, I would still be stuck if not for her. Enjoy. **_

Chapter 3

Somewhere in the periphery of her perception there was light. It wasn't bright but it was definitely there. Amy tried to lick her dry lips but her tongue was like sandpaper. For a moment, she expected to wake up next to Penny's snoring form but she remembered she wasn't at Penny's anymore. One eye opened a slit and she did a quick survey of her surroundings. Her head was pounding and she was parched. Like a bucket of cold water, memories of last night came rushing back and she sat bolt upright in bed.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Too late. Amy groaned and grabbed her head in the hope that it wouldn't explode. "Oh, god. I'm going to kill myself – if I don't die first. Why did I let her give me all that wine?"

He assumed she meant Penny. "I have it on good authority her and Bernadette are feeling much the same as you are now." Sheldon moved over to the bed. "Here we are."

Something cold touched her shoulder and she looked around to see he held out a glass of water for her. Taking it from him, she drank it great fully then handed him back the glass. Amy slumped back onto the bed with her arm draped over her eyes and muttered, "Thank you."

Knowing that she had no excuse for putting it off any longer, she pulled her arm away and looked up at Sheldon.

He held a glass of orange juice in his hand and the empty water glass in the other. He sat the empty glass on the bedside table and handed her the juice. "Drink this, too. You'll need to rehydrate, and get calories back in your system."

Amy nodded and sat up in bed. Leaning back against the headboard she took the juice from him, as he sat down on the side of the bed. She sipped the juice, playing with an invisible string on the sheet, still avoiding his gaze.

"Would you like something for your headache?"

Amy shook her head. His reaction to all of this was disarming and she wasn't sure quite how to deal with it or him. She now had to deal with the ramifications what she had done last night, the awful position she'd put Sheldon in and her own appalling behavior.

"Do you think you could eat?" He offered. "I could make you some toast or some cereal?"

"Why aren't you freaking out?" She could have kicked herself when she heard the words spill from her lips. They sounded petulant and childish. He was being nice to her because he was a better person than she was and felt sorry for her.

Sheldon shrugged. "There's nothing to freak out over."

She looked up at him and stared. "Really?"

Amy knew when she was beaten, she took another sip of juice before she glanced his way. "Thank you."

Sheldon studied her for a long moment before he nodded. "You're welcome." He reached for the empty water glass, and then pointed towards the kitchen. "Do you want some toast?"

Amy shook her head, looking anywhere but at him. She didn't want to see the pity in his eyes or for him to see the humiliation in hers. "No, I'll be fine, thank you."

"Okay here's what's going to happen. I'm going to make you toast, then after you've had that you can go back to sleep for a while. The rest will do you good."

She took another sip of her juice but her throat had tightened and it was difficult to swallow. "I don't want to be any more of a bother, Sheldon."

"Why would you say that?"

"I don't want to take up your time. I'm sure you've got better things to do than stay at home because your girlfriends an idiot."

"Have you thought that perhaps I don't want you to go?"

That did it. She looked up at him meeting his gaze.

He waited without saying a word.

Amy couldn't bear it when he looked at her like that. She knew that he could see right through her. "Sheldon doesn't anything I said or did last night make you..."

"Make me?" he encouraged.

She sighed frustrated. Why wasn't he yelling at her? Why wasn't he pulling out the relationship agreement and waving it in her face? She expected that much, at least.

What she didn't expect was what Sheldon did next.

Leaning forward, his lips met hers in a soft kiss. He lingered there just a moment before pulling back. After several heartbeats Amy opened her eyes.

"Amy, let me ask you this. Do you remember everything from last night?" Sheldon asked, studying her.

Amy thought for a moment. She definitely remembered her time at Penny's. Looking down at herself, she let out a groan and tried to pull the low cut nightgown up a bit higher. Yep, she remembered that alright. Then here time in bed with Sheldon. What she said to him. What they did.

"Oh yeah, I remember." She nodded ruefully, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.

"And... did you mean it?"

This time it was Amy who studied him, while Sheldon picked at that invisible string. Did he look nervous?

Carefully she took his hand. "While I would have preferred to have said what I did under different conditions, I -" She looked down at their clasped hands, a moment to keep her voice from breaking. "I did mean it. I have for a while now."

She felt him squeeze her hand, and then he stood up. "I'll be back momentarily with some toast for you."

In a daze, Amy watched him walk away. She opened her mouth to argue but he was already gone. She wasn't quite sure what was happening or where this was going but an ache was settling into her chest. She didn't dare think about why he didn't reciprocate her feelings. Clenching her jaw as tightly as she could to stop the inner scream from escaping, she sat without moving, her heart shattering.

Hot tears fell down her cheeks, but she wiped them away as Sheldon came back in. He was holding a tray, which was filled with toast, a bowl of fruit, and another glass of water. He sat the tray before her, and she willed the tears not to fall.

Sitting beside her again, he took a deep breath. "I have a proposal for us regarding last night."

"Okay..." She held her breath. This was it. He was going to break up with her. That, or suggest they do another stupid reboot like the last time she got drunk.

"I suggest we set aside a day for ourselves. Once you're feeling better, we can plan a day for just us, and by doing that, we can in an essence redo last night. Under the conditions you would have preferred it to happen."

She released the breath she was holding, while the tears she held at bay broke though. "Oh, Sheldon, really?"

Sheldon nodded. "Just as soon as you're feeling better."

Amy's heart melted. He would really do that for her? An entire day set aside for just the two of them? So she could- so _they_ could make this right? She wanted to toss the tray out if her way and wrap her arms around him but before she could he stood up.

"Try and eat as much as you can. Then if you want to you can take a shower or go back to sleep and rest for a while more?" He suggested. "If you'd like I can go collect your things from Penny's if you'd like to change?"

His eyes darted from her chest and then down to the floor. Amy grinned. Taking a bite of her toast, she gazed up at him innocently. "You don't like what I have on?"

He cleared his throat. "It not that, I just don't want you to be..." His eyes met hers a moment before they settled on her chest once again. "cold," he finished lamely.

She shrugged. "I'm fine."

Sheldon nodded. "Very well, I have a few things to attend to. I'll come back in a bit to get these out of your way."

She caught his hand before he could leave. "Thank you, Sheldon," she said softly. Both knew she meant much more than just the food.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "As I said, you're welcome."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Knock, knock, knock. "_Penny."

_Knock, knock, knock. _"Penny."

_Knock, knock, knock._ "Penny."

Sheldon did not have to wait long, after a moment he was greeted with Leonard, who silently stepped aside and ushered him in.

Sheldon stood rigidly, hands clasped behind his back, in front of the couch where a severely hung over Penny was resting. She seemed oddly uncomfortable, and much worse off than Amy, that thought alone gave Sheldon a great deal of satisfaction. She should very well be, he thought. "I think you know why I'm here."

Penny maintained her position on the couch before looking up at Sheldon guiltily. "I do."

Sheldon's insides clenched at the thought of having to scold his friends. However, their behavior the night before needed to be addressed. Penny may not realize how much of an influence she had on Amy, but he would make sure she was well aware from this point onward. Frowning, he would also need to have this conversation with Amy, but decided he would analyze that thought later; first, he had to deal with Penny.

"Where's your other partner in crime?"

It was Leonard who spoke up from the table behind the couch. "Howard picked her up ten minutes ago."

Sheldon nodded. "I guess I'll have to have a separate conversation with her at another time."

"How's Amy?" Penny sat up gingerly. The concern for her friend in her voice was genuine.

Sheldon held her gaze before he spoke in his frigid monotone. "She's much the same as you. She's resting right now."

"Sheldon look, I-"

He held up a hand, interrupting her. "You may have a chance to speak in a moment." He took a seat in the armchair beside Penny. Leaning forward he placed his elbows on his knees, and turned toward her. Holding her gaze he explained, "You know in the past, I have not been comfortable in intimate relationships. And in many ways, I found emotions to be irrational and exhausting, but then I met Amy. As our relationship has grown, she has been patient enough to let me become comfortable and given me time to work on my challenges at my own pace. I admit I have been unprepared for the demands of a committed relationship and that pace has not been fair to Amy."

He paused, wondering just how much to tell his shocked looking blonde friend. "Amy, trusts you and Bernadette inexplicably, while I normally would concur, all of your actions last night make me question that trust. Not only with Amy's but with my own. My relationship with Amy is something that I care very much about. As much as I'd like to believe your intentions were in mine and Amy's best interest, I don't appreciate anything that would cause my girlfriend to misinterpret my feelings for her. Innocent in their nature or otherwise."

Penny looked stunned beyond belief at Sheldon's honesty but he continued, oblivious to her dismay.

"My understanding in this entire situation from Leonard was that this was brought about in the spirit of a jest, and while I'm not entirely opposed to the "fun" you gals have when you get together... I hope going forward on your 'girls nights' that you seriously take all that I've said into consideration."

Giving Penny a brisk nod, he rose from the armchair to go.

"Sheldon wait," Penny called, getting up from the couch. Standing before him, she squared her shoulders. "You're right, sweetie, I'm sorry. We all got drunk and I should have known better when it came to Amy. I promise it won't happen again."

He gave Penny another brusque nod. "You are forgiven."

"Thank you."

"I'll let you get back to your hangover now." Stopping before he closed the door he added, "And FYI, last night earned you another strike." The turned and left shutting the door without a backward glance.

V

Amy rolled over and stared at the strange yet familiar ceiling. For a breathless moment she tensed, disorientated, and then sagged back into the bed when she remembered where she was. Sheldon's. In Sheldon's bed.

She pulled the covers tight under her chin and smiled. She inhaled, smelling the scent that was uniquely her boyfriend. Laundry soap and talc.

Thankfully her headache was gone, but she felt famished and thirsty. Sitting up, she noticed a glass of water on the bedside table and Sheldon's robe draped across the end of the bed.

She smiled at his care of her.

Amy sat up reaching for the water and drinking it greedily. She listened for the sound of movement in the apartment but it was oddly quiet. She expected to hear the sound of her friends or even the sound of someone watching television but nothing.

Getting up, she donned Sheldon's robe, tying it closed as she padded out into the hall. This may have been her first time sleeping over but she felt more at home here than she's felt in a long time.

Quiet didn't seem to describe Sheldon and Leonard's apartment. The first thing Amy noticed was Sheldon sitting at his desk. The only light on in the room was coming from his laptop and the light from the twilight outside. She must have slept the entire day!

She headed towards him stopping at the step. She smiled as he turned towards her and he gave a small one in return. Getting and walking over to her, he remained on the step below. She took the opportunity to enjoy the height difference it made, though she still had to look up at him.

"Are you feeling better?"

"I am."

"Did you get the water I left for you?"

"I did, thank you."

His eyes kept drifting towards her hair.

She glanced at him, and she cringed. "Is it really that bad?"

He shrugged."No, it's just different." He tentetivley reached up and took a curl of her hair between his fingers before tucking the lock of hair behind her ear.

Unfortunitly, Amy was rendered speechless. How could such a simple gesture make her so weak in the knees? She'd forgotten about the nearly thirty minutes she sat while Penny curled her hair. She couldn't imagine what her hair must look like now after sleeping on it all day.

For countless seconds they just stood there and stared at one another. It was Sheldon who finally broke the spell. "Are you hungry?"

She smiled. "Starving."

"Would pizza be acceptable?"

"God, _yes_."She groaned at the thought of it.

Sheldon bit the inside of his cheeck to keep the smirk from breaking through at his girlfriends enthusiasum for food. "Okay, well while I get it ordered, you can take a shower if you'd like. I procured your things from Penny's this morning. They are in my room."

Amy sighed happily. "That sounds great."

He called before she reached the door. "Oh, and in case you don't have one, there is a toothbrush for you in the bathroom."

It was her turn to raise her brows at him. "You bought me a toothbrush?"

"I had extra's."

She nodded and continued to his room. Grabbing her bag that was placed neatly by his dresser, she set it on his bed and got out her change of clothes. She did indeed bring her own toothbrush, but found the idea of using the one Sheldon got for her much more appealing. She closed her bag and set it back into it's place, before making her way to the bathroom.

Once there she closed the door behind her, setting her clothes aside, she took a look at herself in the mirror. _Whoa, Fowler!_ Her hair fell all around her and a curly tousled mess. No wonder Sheldon couldn't stop looking at it. Her hair looked like what Penny always referred to the girls in movies as sporting 'JBF' hair.

She took off Sheldons robe and draped it on the counter behind her. Going back to the sink she noticed the the toothbrush still in it's case. It was white and pink. She tapped her fingers on the ceramic. He just happened to have a pink one? She shook her head, grabbing some toothpaste. She would bet money this wasn't just an extra.

Once her teeth were clean, she went over to the cupboard by the door and grabbed a towel. Tossing her clothes to the floor, she stepped into the shower. The hot water was bliss. There were a couple of bottles of shampoo on a shelf and reaching up, she opened one and sniffed – it reminded her of the deliciously distinctive scent of Sheldon wore. Smiling, she poured some into her hand and worked the lather through her hair; it seemed intimate somehow, to use his things.

When she was washed, and relaxed from the hot water, she stepped out of the shower, dried and dressed in her clean clothes. She quickly towl dried her hair, tossing it into the laundry basket, she headed towards the living room.

"Pizza's here." Sheldon said turning towards her and flashing her a smile.

She smiled in return. "It smells delicious. I could eat a fully grown moose right about now."

"I anticipated your larger than normal appetite and ordered you a breadsticks as well."

"My larger than normal appetite appreciates that."

Sheldon sat down in his spot and handed her a plate, with a slice of pizza and a bread stick. She happily took it from him, taking her spot beside him meeting his eyes and smiling widely.

"Where is Leonard?"

"At Penny's."

"Has it been this quiet around here all day?"

He nodded while he finished the bite he took. Once done he answered, "Leonard and Howard are both taking care of their significant others and I informed Rajesh under no circumstances was he to come over today."

Her pizza stopped half way between the plate and her mouth. "Why?"

He looked as if the answer was obvious. "Because you were sleeping, of course."

"Sheldon, not that I don't appreciate it but you didn't have to do that."

He shrugged. "It was no bother, besides it gave me time to get a lot of research done that I've been putting off for a while now."

"You putting off research? That doesn't sound like you," she teased.

Sheldon gave her a tight smile, but he continued eating.

Amy tilted her head as she studied her boyfriend. Was he blushing?

They both ate in a comfortable silence for a while. After they finished their meal, Amy thanked Sheldon for the dinner, helping him to put away the dishes said, "Well I guess I should go. I think I've intruded on your day- or night as it is, long enough."

"Are you sure?" Sheldon asked, reaching for the tea. "We still have yet to talk about what day we should go out or what you would like to do."

Amy smiled sweetly and took a set on one of the barstools. "What did you have in mind?"

_**Note: Thank you everyone for all the wonderful reads and reviews! I love hearing your thoughts. Keep 'em coming!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_Note: Sorry this took so long. Thurday's amazing episode kept me pretty busy. As a thank you for all the amazing reivews, here's a longer chapter for you. _

Chapter 5

Amy sat on the comfortable sofa, looking out the wide windows at the torrential rain, her heart sinking. Water cascaded down the glass, leaving nothing but a pattern of delicate streaks, as the storm moved across the sky.

The rain hadn't let up for three days. With a sigh, she leant forward, elbow on her knee, resting her chin on her hand and watched as the power lines swayed under the heavy downpour and strong winds. Power held up gallantly for a while, but the storm eventually won out.

If the storm followed the predicted path, they were still in for a long night ahead, with the first breaks not scheduled till the early hours of the morning. As she settled back into the cushions, her shoulders sagged as more rumbles sounded off in the distance. Solidifying to her that her and Sheldon's day was irrevocably and most horribly ruined.

There was no one to blame. The weather was completely unusual for this time of year. It was unusual for Southern California, period. They called it the biggest storm they've had on record in a decade and just to prove that, showed no sign of relenting anytime soon. Pulling her legs up underneath her, she sighed snuggling into the blanket Sheldon gave her, as her mind idled over the day's events.

_She'd been so excited. Amy jumped out of bed that morning, her clothes already picked out the night before, we're laid out so she wouldn't waste any time getting to Sheldon's. She knew there was a possibility -okay a big possibility that it would still be raining but she didn't care. They had a backup plan for events such as this. No amount of rain was going to get in her way. After she showered and dressed grabbing her purse and keys she impatiently set off to her boyfriends. _

_The drive to Sheldon's was interesting to say the least. Traffic was light; however, most people were not used to the amount of rain coming down, which made the drive take twice as long. Once she finally reached her designation, parking turned out to be even more trouble than the traffic. It was a Saturday, and by the look of things, everyone decided to stay in from the storm and the only spot Amy could find to park was four blocks away. _

_Reaching for her purse and umbrella, she braced herself as she headed into the monsoon. _

_Ten minutes later, she made her way up the stairs. Her hair was plastered to the side of her face and she pulled it angrily behind her ear. She was soaked completely through. Swallowing back a few angry __expletives __as she finally reached Sheldon's door and knocked._

_It was her bestie who answered her eyes going wide as she regarded Amy. _

_"Oh my god, Amy! What happened?" Penny asked, stepping aside. _

_Amy pursed her lips, she noticed she was actually dripping water. Lovely._

_Replying dryly, she said, "Well, needless to say, it's a bit wet outside."_

_She noticed Sheldon rose from his seat at her arrival, darted into the bathroom and soon returned with a large towel. She took it from him gratefully. _

_Leonard flashed her sympathetic smile from the kitchen. "Did you have to walk a ways?"_

_"Yes, unfortunately for me everyone has decided to stay indoors today. Also the wind decided to take my umbrella about three blocks away from here."_

_"Aww, sweetie." Penny frowned, grabbing her friend's hand. "Come on, you can come over to my apartment. I'll find you some clothes to change into." _

_Amy started to follow, but Sheldon stepped between the two crossing his arms. "Now hang on, Amy doesn't need your clothes."_

_"Sheldon she's soaked. What do you expect her to do drip dry?"_

_"Noooo, she can wear something of mine."_

_Penny scoffed. "Have ya noticed you're about twelve inches taller than her, Dr. Genius?"_

_"Actually, I am acutely aware of it and its 9.42 inches."_

_Amy opened her mouth to haughtily inform them both she was still in the room and still very wet, when Sheldon grabbed her by the hand, pulling her along with him. Amy looked back at Penny and shrugged. _

_She followed him to his bedroom and waited in the doorway while he rummaged through his chest of drawers trying to find her something. Next, he went to his closet and after a moment pulled out a red Flash shirt. Sheldon turned back towards her with the t-shirt in one hand and a pair of cotton drawstring pants in the other."These should work."_

_Amy nodded. "Thank you, Sheldon."_

_He pointed towards the bathroom. "Alright, go change. I've got to mop up the river behind you."_

_She narrowed her eyes at him. "But what about my clothes? I can't go out in these."_

_"After you change, I'll run them down to the dryer."_

_Amy nodded._

_Once in the bathroom she stripped of the wet layers, folding them into a towel, to keep them from getting water everywhere. Sheldon's shirt fit her loosely, and she took a quick moment to enjoy being in one of his favorite shirts. She was able to tighten the pants a bit but there was nothing to do about the height. Amy shrugged. She didn't care. She was wearing his clothes._

_Returning to the living room, she handed Sheldon her clothes, whose eyes seemed to linger on her attire a bit longer than necessary. "I'll just go take these down stairs," Sheldon said, making his way to the door. _

_"Ooo, Ames, nice shirt." Penny winked._

_Amy smiled._

_"You guys still going out tonight?"_

_Leonard looked up from his laptop at his desk. Swiveling around he asked, "You really want to go back out in that?"_

_Amy shrugged. "Perhaps, it'll let up a bit. It will take about an hour for my clothes to dry anyways." _

_"I wouldn't be so sure. They were actually advising people to stay at home. There's even been some flash flooding in some areas." _

"_Really?"Amy flopped down in her spot looking dejected. _

_Penny sensing her excitement diminishing went and sat by her. Pulling her into a hug she cooed, "Awe, sweetie, it'll be okay. The rain will stop."_

_"It won't."_

_"Leonard!" Penny hissed. "Can't you see she's upset?"_

_"Okay, I'm sorry. Sure Amy, the sun will be out in five minutes."_

_Penny rolled her eyes._

"_Don't worry. You guys are going to be inside anyways, right?"_

"_Yeah."_

_Penny waved her hand away. "You'll be fine, then."_

"_You just have to get back to your car again." Leonard chuckled darkly. Just then a pillow sailed through the air hitting Leonard squarely on the back of the head. "Hey!"_

_Penny said nothing but pointed an accusing finger at him, daring him to ask why. _

_Just then Sheldon returned. "Alright, who's in the mood for some _Game of Thrones_?"_

_The girls looked at each other with equal grimaces, but before anyone could reply, a large crashing came from outside startling everyone. Seconds later they were doused in darkness. _

"_Okay this could be a problem for you." Penny's voice deadpanned._

_"Okay people, emergency procedures. This is what we've all trained for."Sheldon said, flashlight already in hand._

_Penny rose from the couch. "I think I'll go home and wait this one out."_

_Leonard was up out of his chair and behind his girlfriend in a shot."Yeah, me too."_

_Amy slumped back into the cushions with a thud. _

Her thoughts drifted back to the present. Four hours later, the storm was showing no signs of relenting or the power returning. It was official. The day Amy looked forward to all week was ruined. No amount of filling it with counterfactuals or trivia was going to help. Tonight was supposed to be romantic. Now it just seemed like every night they spent together. Only in the dark.

After four years of yearning, it was becoming more and more difficult to keep her distance from Sheldon and, in recent months, the barriers he set were hard to maintain. So when he suggested their day together for just the two of them to discover this new intimacy between them, she leapt at the suggestion. She did an internal eye roll. How pathetically ironic could this get?

Amy sighed. These thoughts weren't helping her already maudlin frame of mind. Just then Sheldon spoke up from where he'd been buried his laptop for the last twenty minutes. "Well Amy, it's clear we are just going to have to take matters into our own hands."

Amy turned her attention from the windows to her boyfriend. "How so?"

Sheldon was up and out of his chair, "Would you care for some lunch?"

Amy sat up. "I guess."

Sheldon left into the hall, and came back to the kitchen carrying two medium sized candles. Setting them in the middle of the kitchen isle he lit them. A small smile played on Amy's lips.

Sheldon smiled in return but didn't say anything else, merely turned to rummage around the kitchen.

Holding up two jars he asked, "Peanut butter and jelly?"

Amy grinned. "Sure." Getting up she sat at the barstool, watching her boyfriend as he set upon his task. He soon placed to sandwiches in from of them. One with grape jelly for him, another with strawberry for her. Quickly he took two bottles of water for them from the fridge. Sitting across from her he smiled.

She had to admit, he knew her well.

It then occurred to her that he was here with her and nothing else really mattered.

"I need to apologize, Sheldon."

He looked towards her and raised his brow slightly.

Amy sighed. "I have been rather sulky today and I didn't mean to project that at you. I guess I'm just disappointed."

He took a breath. "Well, to be honest, I was a bit relieved."

Amy blinked. He was relieved that their day was ruined?

His frown told her he'd recognized her misinterpretation of his reasons for his relief.

His reply was equally noncommittal, but there was a breath of care in his tone. "I've been keeping an eye on the weather reports and knew this would most likely be the outcome. Then I realized that it didn't matter. We are still together today. We may not have got to go do all the things we wanted but we're both here."

Amy shook her head in disbelief. "I'm starting to wonder if you're not a bit of a mind reader. I was thinking something along those lines." His eyes held hers for a long moment. She shrugged. "You're right, we're both here. That's what counts."

"Soooo." He didn't look at her, but asked the question she was dreading. "What would you like to do this evening?"

It was on the tip of her tongue to remark offhandedly that they could pick up where they left off last week but she didn't. They needed to find a natural way to the intimacy she brought on them. She would have to wait for him to bring them there.

The mere thought of that made tears well and she averted her gaze so he couldn't see her eyes shimmering. Her voice was surprisingly steady considering her inner turmoil and she answered, kindly. "Whatever you'd like to do."

She heard his weary sigh and she bit her lip to keep from reacting. It made her thoroughly ashamed of herself. They had made progress and that's what counts. What she should do was tell him of her feelings. There was no pressure on them to do anything about it… yeah sure… she snorted, and then she saw him move from his chair.

Suddenly the barstool she was sitting in turned and he was standing in front of her. "I apologize for not doing this sooner but..."

Amy's eyes fluttered shut as he bent closer. She felt his breath whisper against her lips and then his mouth was on hers. It was warm, soft and gentle. His lips moved over hers, his tongue lightly tickling at her lips, until her mouth opened to allow him access. With a deep moan, he pushed into her mouth, and she instantly responded. The intensity was breathtaking, but the sense of belonging was equally overwhelming. In a strange way it was already familiar.

They tasted each other, mouths sliding easily together and their hands tentatively began learning the feel of each other. His hands drifted down her arms, over her back, and slipped under the bottom edge of her shirt. The tips of his fingers took inventory of the warm flesh of small of her back.

Just as Amy though she might pass out from the sensations he gentled the kiss and their mouths pulled away from one another.

Taking a deep breath, she met his gaze. "Sheldon, would you answer a question for me?"

Sheldon nodded, his look shadowed with concern. "Of course."

"Okay." She took another steady breath only to be confounded by a new obstacle.

She had his undivided attention but now couldn't find the right words to form her question. Spooking him so soon after an earth shattering kiss was the last thing she wanted.

Fortunately, what came out was to the point – or so she thought. "How do you feel about me?"

He seemed genuinely puzzled by the question. "Right now?"

It was her turn to look baffled. "I suppose so."

"Well, right now I'm concerned about you."

Amy pursed her lips in frustration. That wasn't quite the answer she was looking for so she tried a different tack. "Okay, forget about 'right now'. How do you feel about me normally?"

She watched in agonizing silence as Sheldon tried to formulate an answer. He was taking far too long, so, before he said something that destroyed her few remaining cherished hopes, she smiled and gave his arm a pat. "Don't worry about it, Sheldon. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."

He sounded almost exasperated. "Amy, give me a moment. It's not as easy as a "yes or no" question."

She swallowed but kept her gaze steadily directed at him. "I'm sorry. Go on."

She watched enthralled as he stood before her. She could tell he was choosing his words to her carefully. Tightness in her chest began to grow the longer he took. Finally, his eyes met hers and he took her hands.

"Amy, before I met you I never had any interest of ever entering into a relationship with anyone. After witnessing my own parent's marriage implode into a downward slope of adultery, alcoholism, and bitterness -ultimately leading to divorce. I never wanted any part of such a lifestyle. But then you came along. At first, I was fascinated to find someone to be my intellectual equal and even more surprised to find someone with whom I could have the perfect platonic relationship. That is, until you met Penny... and we all know that went all to hell."

A soft chuckle escaped her.

He licked his lips and barreled on."I was amazed how quickly I came to rely on your friendship. Then slowly, I began to have other feelings that I couldn't put into words. At various times throughout any given day you began filling my thoughts -you still do. Amy, the reasons behind my hesitance, if you will, is not because I don't want to be with you but because I don't want to ever lose you."

Amy forgot how to breathe.

Sheldon shrugged. "Maybe that makes me a coward... I still need us to move forward slowly, but you asked a question and you deserve an honest answer. I love you, Amy."

Amy felt like crying. That was the most courageous and tragically romantic thing she'd ever heard. Unconsciously her grip on his hands tightened and she could feel the burn of tears in her eyes.

"I love you too, Sheldon." She couldn't tear her eyes away from his.

"I don't think I've said it yet, but..." She watched memorized as his eyes for the first time lowered, roaming over her form and back up to meet her gaze again. His eyes were darker than she'd ever seen them. "I really like you in that shirt."

Amy swallowed. It took everything she had not to launch herself into his arms. "Sheldon, I'm going to kiss you now."

His brow rose and he licked his lips. "Then stop talking about it and do it, little lady."

She shook her head, and at the same time, tilted it back so she could kiss him. Reaching up her hands cradling his head, she pulled him to her, her fingers tangling in his hair as their mouths met in a searing kiss. Without thinking Amy nipped his lower lip, causing Sheldon to gasp and pull back. Amy blushed, embarrassed by her boldness. However, it only seemed to throw fuel onto the fire. Sheldon leant forward then, his lips meeting hers in another heated kiss.

Unfortunately, the front door burst opened to reveal Penny and Leonard carrying a couple boxes with them. The couple sprang a part but Penny had already noticed them. Her expression morphed into that of a child on Christmas morning. Grinning, she asked, "Whatcha doin'?"


	6. Chapter 6

_Amy swallowed. It took everything she had not to launch herself into his arms. "Sheldon, I'm going to kiss you now."_

_His brow rose and he licked his lips. "Then stop talking about it and do it, little lady."_

_She shook her head, and at the same time, tilted it back so she could kiss him. Reaching up her hands cradling his head, she pulled him to her, her fingers tangling in his hair as their mouths met in a searing kiss. Without thinking Amy nipped his lower lip, causing Sheldon to gasp and pull back. Amy blushed, embarrassed by her boldness. However, it only seemed to throw fuel onto the fire. Sheldon l__eant forward then, his lips meeting hers in another heated kiss._

_Unfortunately, the front door burst opened to reveal Penny and Leonard carrying a couple boxes with them. The couple sprang a part but Penny had already noticed them. Her expression morphed into that of a child on Christmas morning. Grinning, she asked, "What'cha doin'?"_

Chapter 6

The couples sat around the darkened living room, the coffee table alight with candles and a few emergency battery powered lamps. They all spent the last four hours playing a very intense cut-throat, couples version of Star Wars Monopoly. Which would have lasted well into the morning; however, towards the end -no one was winning, the girls were tired, and the guys were doing nothing but arguing. Finally, they met at an agreeable stalemate.

It was Penny who suggested a new game. One that didn't involve Death Stars and inter-galactic debt. As they all started cleaning up the table, from the previous game, Penny briefly went over the new one.

"Okay, so here's how this goes. This game is called Match Mate. It'll be Sheldon and Amy against Leonard and I, and the idea is to see which couple knows more about each other. Each question is worth five points," Penny told the assemblage. "A right answer gives you five points and a wrong answer gets you zero. The first team to 200 points wins. Any questions?" She asked, passing out small note pads.

Taking a card from the pile, Amy glanced at the questions presented. _Where does your partner like to be kissed? _

Amy held up her hand. "Yes, I have one. If we don't know the answer to the question, is it acceptable to take our partner into their bedroom, thus allowing one to find out?" Amy fanned herself with the card, to the shock of everyone present and smiled flirtatiously at Sheldon.

Confused Sheldon glanced over at the card in her hand, managing to look pleased and embarrassed at the same time.

Leonard leaned toward Penny. "I think we are about a day too early with this game."

Penny held back a snort. "Judging by those looks they've been giving one another they're gonna need a lot more than a day to get whatever's going on out of their system."

"How long do we get to answer the questions?" Sheldon asked.

Leonard supplied, "As long as you need to come up with an answer."

"Really? No timer, no game board, no real rules... no fun."

"Oh, hang on." Leonard got up, and digging in the closet pulled out four small white dry-erase boards. Passing them out to everyone he handed them each a marker. "And there you go a game board."

Penny smiled up at him. "Much better, sweetie."

"So who goes first?" Amy asked.

"It doesn't matter," Penny said. "But Ames, trade spots with Leonard and come sit by me."

Amy frowned. "Why?"

Penny pointed at the brunette."Because you guys are a little too cozy over there, and you're not supposed to be able to see each other's answers."

Amy looked a bit disappointed but complied, getting up and sitting in the chair next to Penny.

"So why don't you girls go first?" Leonard offered, taking a seat on the couch next to Sheldon.

"Wait," Sheldon spoke up. "So when they read a question we are essentially answering in regards to them."

Leonard nodded. "Yes, and then same goes for when we read a card, they answer a question about us."

Penny leaned over and whispered something into Amy's ear.

Amy grinned. "Okay, you guys ready?"

"All right, bring it." Leonard said. "There's no way you and Sheldon are beating Penny and I at this game." He and Penny exchanged knowing looks of superiority.

Penny carefully eyed Sheldon**. **"I don't know... with Sheldon's memory-thing…"

"Yeah, but they won't even know what half the cards in there are talking about."

Penny shrugged. "Good point. Okay Ames, why don't you read one first."

Picking up one from the table, she quickly scanned it. "Can I pick any one I want?"

Penny nodded, as she took a sip from her wine.

"Okay," Amy took a deep breath and looked around the room. "If your partner could change jobs, what would be her dream job?"

Setting the card on the table, Amy wrote her answer down. Okay, this might actually be fun. She smiled at Penny, as they waited for the boys to get done.

Sheldon was done before Leonard, sitting up confidently as he met Amy's gaze across the table.

"Done."

"All right, boys what did you get?"

Leonard turned over his board. _Fashion Designer._

"Yeah!" Penny laughed. Turning her board over, Leonard let out a "whoop" of joy as her untidily hand writing revealed the same.

Amy sat up straighter. "What do you have, Sheldon?"

Sheldon turned his over confidently. _Juilliard Harpist_.

Amy revealed hers. _Professional Harpist at Juilliard._

Leonard got up and grabbed the maker from Sheldon's white board where they were keeping score. "Five points to us all."

"Not for long," Sheldon remarked.

"You realize, the game just started," Penny pointed out, annoyed.

"Does that concern you?" Sheldon asked.

She smiled gamely. "Not particularly."

"Okay, Sheldon you go next," Leonard said.

Grabbing a card, Amy watched as Sheldon chose his question and placed the card back on the table. "What is your partner's favorite color?"

Amy shook her head, as she wrote down her answer. That was easy enough. Glancing up, she met her boyfriends stare again. Penny seemed to be having a tougher time on the question, which was just fine with Amy.

All too soon, she announced she was ready.

Sheldon smirked. "Go ahead, Amy."

Amy smiled back, turning her board around. _Rosso corsa._

Sheldon turned his board over to reveal the same.

"What the hell?" Penny cried, in indignation. "What the heck color is that?"

"Rosso corsa, is a shade of red. It is used primarily as the international motor racing color of cars entered by teams from Italy and is the shade of red used in The Flash comics."

Sheldon and Amy shared another small grin.

Penny rolled her eyes at Leonard. "Seriously?"

He pursed his lips in reply, "They are their own kind of weird." He nodded at Penny. "Whatcha got?"

She held up her board. _Green._

Leonard shrugged. Teasing he said, "That's it, just green?"

She looked daggers at him."Really?"

Leonard flipped his over. _Green._

Penny let out a laugh and as Amy went to the board to mark down their points. Coming back to her chair Penny handed her a glass of wine. She thanked her and took a sip. Sheldon's eyebrows rose but he said nothing. He didn't have to, his look said it all. If she wanted to get anywhere tonight, she was going to have to make this glass last a while.

It was now the girl's turn. Penny drew this time and she smothered a mischievous grin. Clearing her throat, she read, "Which body part of your girlfriend do you like the most?"

Sheldon raised his hand. "Formal protest."

"Why?" Leonard looked up from his board.

He threw an exasperated look at his roommate. Amy chuckled, which only earned her her own glare. "These questions are not specific and furthermore, are awfully intrusive."

Amy pushed her glasses up on her nose. "Sheldon, I believe the questions are geared towards physical attraction."

Penny interjected, pointing at him. "Yeah, and I know you Sheldon Cooper, you are not allowed say her brain."

Leonard shook his head. "If it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Penny smiled at him sweetly. "Yeah, sweetie, it's okay. You can choose to not answer."

"Thank you."

Amy grumbled. "You do realize the reason they don't mind is because if you don't answer, we don't get points. Giving them the advantage to win the game."

Sheldon was silent a moment as he considered this. Looking across the table at Penny he challenged, "It's on like Donkey Kong, girly."

Amy looked over at Penny, who winked at her. She looked down at her still blank white board. What did Sheldon like most? She had an idea, but wondered if she should be honest and risk embarrassing him. Catching his eye, she noticed that he already wrote down his answer. Letting out a breath she wrote down her answer.

Penny stretched a bit to look at what she wrote but Amy held it closer to her.

She rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter if _I_ see it. I'm not on your side."

Amy blushed and meekly held the board out enough for her friend to see. Penny covered her hand with her mouth, her eyes wide.

Noticing their interactions, Leonard raised a brow. "What?"

Penny waved her hands in the hair. "Nothing, it's -you'll find out."

"Okay, whatever. Let's see it."

Penny revealed her answer. _Breasts._

Leonard groaned and flipped his over. _Legs_.

"What?!" Penny sat up straight in her chair. "Since when?"

"I talk about your legs all that time!"

"No, you don't."

"I do," he defended.

Penny scoffed. "Like when?"

"All right!" Sheldon interjected, into the room. "You can argue about breasts and legs on your own time, meanwhile, you still got it wrong. No points for you two."

"Oh yeah, genius? Show us your answer?" Penny smirked.

Without hesitation, Sheldon held up the board. _Posterior_.

Leonard looked like he might fall off the couch. "You're an ass man?"

Sheldon only met Amy's eyes. She raised a brow and showed hers. _Buttocks_.

Penny downed the rest of her glass. "Damn."

Leonard shook his head, and said almost to himself, "Huh, I never would have guessed that."

* * *

He returned to the couch, and he served her a cup of herbal tea he made from his emergency kit's survival water heater. They sat in their spots, silently enjoying each other's company for a while.

"Stay here tonight." His request hung in the air.

She knew his intentions were, for the most part, purely platonic. He was offering her sleep and his own piece of mind for her safety. Part of her was elated by this. But part of her wanted to flee, and part of her just wanted desperately to misinterpret his intention, crawl on his lap, and kiss him with all of the passion she had in her.

She composed herself. "Omm, are you sure?"

"I am," he replied carefully, knowing that he did not want her driving home in this weather. "But only under one condition."

Her brows furrowed, confused. "What's that?"

"This time, you don't steal all the covers."

She agreed.

He blew out the remaining candles, rose and took her hand. Meekly, and most innocently, she let him lead her to his bedroom. His bedroom. This was a bad idea, but she had to admit, it wasn't as if they had never slept side by side... They didn't have to _do_ anything. This was Sheldon, after all. Then she recalled only hours ago, before Penny and Leonard came back to the apartment…

Sheldon pulled the covers back. "Would you like something else to sleep in?"

She hesitated briefly, "No, this is fine."

"Do you have a side preference?"

She shook her head. "No, not really."

"All right. I'm going to go and change."

Amy was too nervous to speak, so she nodded. She got into his bed, staying to one side carefully respecting his space. She tried to get comfortable but the sweat pants were making her hot. She never liked sleeping in pants. She wondered quickly if he would notice if she took them off? If they didn't do anything and kept to their sides he would never know, and on the off chance they did fool around they'd end up coming off anyways.

Shedding the sweat pants, she quickly folded them and setting them on the floor beside the bed to have to put them back on in the morning. She closed her eyes, set her glasses on the bedside table, and let herself sink back into the pillow.

When he arrived in his room a few minutes later, she immediately scooted over a bit more, unsure of how much distance he would require.

The light from the window outside allowed her to see had changed into his blue flannel pajama pants, but instead of his normally matching top, he wore only a plain white T-shirt. Amy choked back the 'hoo' she felt rising in her throat. She really had to get a handle on that.

He got in next to her, and turning on his side to face her, his heart lost its rhythm as his eyes took her in. Now, prompted by a new sensation as he thought back to the night he kissed her on the train. His eidetic memory allowing him to recall every glorious detail and the very moment he realized that kissing Amy was far more enjoyable than anything he ever experienced.

Deciding it was safer not to acknowledge his attention, Amy said, "I guess we should go to sleep."

He tried not to be captivated by the image of his Amy in his bed. He tried not to be charmed by the sight of her in his shirt. He tried not to fantasize about waking up beside her every day for the rest of his life. He tried, and failed.

He nodded not trusting his voice.

"Kiss me, goodnight?"

He swallowed. "Of course."

Amy slid a bit closer to reach him. What she imagined would be a small peck on the lips turned out to be so much more. When she started to pull back, she only got a few inches away, before his hand slid behind her neck preventing her from moving away.

Her hands automatically slid slowly up his chest and around his neck. His other hand found her waist, pulling her snugly up against him. Amy was concentrating very hard on her breathing, but she couldn't stop her pulse from quickening.

She looked up and drew his head down to hers, her fingers in his hair. Their lips met.

The kiss was soft, chaste, affectionate yet undemanding, neither brief nor lingering, and a powerful experience for both parties. Her knees actually went weak. His heart froze in his chest. They hung on to one another for a moment as their lips separated, eyes closed, normal breathing a struggle.

Their heads moved apart once again.

He held still and desperately tried to suppress his physical response to her proximity. It was nearly impossible. He was keenly aware of her body pressed against his.

As it was, he was incredibly aware of every intimate detail.

Neither trusted their voices enough to speak. Sheldon struggled to reposition himself, trying to put some space between them.

Flames of desire shot through her body as he shifted against her and her self control shattered. Her lips sought his and he didn't resist. The hunger they had both fought so valiantly to contain burst free.

His ability to think with any level of clarity vanished as she drove her tongue into his mouth. They kissed feverishly, reveling in the taste of each other, so long imagined and so long denied.

Desperate to touch him, to hold him, she broke the kiss long enough to gasp. "Is this really happening?"

"Amy..." His voice was barely a whisper. His breath brushed her lips. She kissed him again, her lips lightly nipped his before he swept his tongue into her mouth, exploring thoroughly. A moan escaped her.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sheldon knew that there would be consequences later, but he just couldn't make himself stop kissing her. He needed to kiss her.

Why did her hair have to smell so good?

The voice was back and told him they needed to slow down and inject a level of sense into this. "Amy, we have to stop."

"What?" Amy asked, as she locked her legs around his waist holding him to her.

His forehead touched hers as he tried to catch his breath. "We can't. We're not prepared."

"But…" She was about to argue when she realized what he was saying. "Oh."

They both groaned in frustration. Ironic, she thought through the haze of desire. Finally, they wanted each other desperately enough to take this step together, only to be halted in their tracks.

Torture, he thought. Cruel torture. Her body was pressed against him. Her legs held him deliciously hostage. His hand swept back to remove her hold, but what remaining air he had left in his lungs whoosh from him as he met the bare skin of her legs. And then he was kissing her again, no more able to resist her lips than he was able to go without oxygen.

He kissed her deeply, all rational thought fleeing once again. His awareness included nothing beyond this kiss as his tongue explored the recesses of her mouth and the softness of her thighs.

Amy's control was equally shattered. She cared for nothing outside of this moment. His taste. His smell. His mouth, warm and moist. His arousal, throbbing against her.

Ending this kiss was not within their capabilities.

* * *

_Note: I know, I'm sorry. I'm evil, but I had to. ;) Thoughts?_


	7. Chapter 7 M

_**Note: Thank you for all the favorites, reads, and reviews! Now, this is my first ever attempt at anything M rated. For anyone who would rather have the T version, skip to the next chapter. –deep breath- All right dearies, after turning 50 Shades of Red, here you go. Enjoy.**_

_The voice was back and told him they needed to slow down and inject a level of sense into this. "Amy, we have to stop."_

"_What?" Amy asked, as she locked her legs around his waist holding him to her._

_His forehead touched hers as he tried to catch his breath. "We can'__t, we__'re not prepared."_

"_But…" She was about to argue when she realized what he was saying. "Oh."_

_They both groaned in frustration. Ironic, she thought through the haze of desire. Finally, they wanted each other desperately enough to take this step together, only to be halted in their tracks._

_Torture, he thought. Cruel torture. Her body was pressed against him. Her legs held him deliciously hostage. His hand swept back to remove her hold, but what remaining air he had left in his lungs whoosh from him, as he met the bare skin of her legs. And then he was kissing her again, no more able to resist her lips than he was able to go without oxygen._

_He kissed her deeply, all rational thought fleeing once again. His awareness included nothing beyond this kiss as his tongue explored the recesses of her mouth and the softness of her thighs._

_Amy's control was equally shattered. She cared for nothing outside of this moment. His taste. His smell. His mouth, warm and moist. His arousal, throbbing against her. _

_Ending this kiss was not within their capabilities._

Chapter 7

She hadn't realized just how much larger his body was, compared to hers, but his chest completely covered hers and his arms engulfed her.

Amy slipped her hands into his shirt, splaying her fingers across his bare back, pushing his shirt up until they had no choice to break the kiss long enough to pull it over his head, tossing it to the floor, where it was instantly forgotten.

Amy sucked her breath in sharply as Sheldon's his lips trailed small kisses down her throat, pushing her backwards, and covering her body with his own. His hands caressed her sides through her tee shirt, sending delicious tremors up and down her spine, and she wished she had taken the time to remove it before they came back together.

She clung to his shoulders for support and couldn't help but moan in delight when his caressing hands reached her breasts, his thumbs rubbing her almost painfully erect nipples through the garment she still wore.

"You are wearing entirely too much," he declared quietly, and set about correcting the situation. Taking a deep steadying breath, she trembled as he pulled her tee over her head. His breath caught in his throat.

His hands hovered over her body, still mesmerized by her. "So beautiful, Amy."

Laying her back, his thumbs hooked the waistline of her underwear and pulled off the final garment from her body.

"Sheldon, please."

He then he shifted aside pulling off the last of his clothes off and throwing them to the floor.

His mouth took hers; as she threaded her fingers into his hair, pulling him down to deepen the kiss. Amy moaned, arching her body to give him the clear signal that she wanted to be touched.

His hand slid down to fill his palm with her supple, warm breast. In response, she moaned again and pushed her tongue into his mouth, arching her chest further into his hand. He kissed his way down to her chest, capturing a nipple in his mouth, one after the other as he gave each breast the attention it deserved. Her chest arched as desire raced through her.

He his hand caressed down her body, until it crept deliciously higher up her leg making its way up her inner thigh, she gasped and tensed slightly. He looked down at her and asked, "Are you okay with this?"

It took her a moment to find her voice, but she answered with a deep, husky sound. "Very okay."

His fingers touched her intimately for the first time, making her cry out his name. He took his time to discover her reactions and what touches brought her to the very edge. He was desperate to know her body as thoroughly as he already knew her mind. His name tore from her throat, and as he felt her contract around his fingers and at the sound of her cries, he nearly followed her into oblivion.

Her eyes opened and she took in the sight of his face, desired painted his features as he hovered over her, but blurred as he moved in to kiss her again. "Sheldon, please," she mumbled into his mouth as she rocked against him.

One if his hands found hers and threaded her fingers with his. "Are you ready?"

She almost wanted to die of love for him. "Oh God, yes. You have no idea. Please, now."

Her plea did not go unnoticed. He, too, could wait no longer. "I love you, Amy," he murmured. Slowly, inch by inch, he immersed himself within her slick, velvety walls, groaning in pleasure and almost incoherently gasping her name.

"I love you, too, Sheldon," she assured him softly, pushing upwards to press her lips to his to keep from hissing at the physical sting of penetration.

They both stilled and stared at one another. A shudder ran through both their bodies. The contact was exquisite.

Sheldon, awed by the moment, was still trying to prolong this remarkable event; attempting also to be considerate of her virginity, and for many moments he lay still within her.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, just… start slow."

Lost in the sensation of him throbbing deep within her body, she caressed his face; his ears; his neck; his shoulders. He began to move and the physical need once again building within her overpowered all else. She wrapped her legs around his waist and thrust against him, matching his rhythm.

They were both moaning almost continuously now, and he began to meet her thrusts as her pace quickened, until they collapsed together, unable to move, barely able to draw breath. For many minutes they lay still, allowing their minds to drift as their bodies recovered.

This was a moment of profound significance for both of them. Almost reverent in its importance and one that words could not define. How does one articulate the momentousness of such an experience?

They lay in each another's arms for countless minutes, touching gently, breathing each other in and learning the feel of one another in their new found intimacy. These moments of quiet were almost, if not more moving than their earlier joining

With his arm draped comfortingly around her, her eyes fluttered shut and she felt him kiss her forehead.

* * *

Amy's eyes fluttered open several hours later. It was still dark outside and she could hear the wind still gusting out the tall window next to the bed. Sheldon was asleep beside her, his chest rising and falling in the slow steady inhale and exhale of sleep. His arm was tucked securely around her shoulder and his leg was draped over hers, keeping her close. She smiled as she studied his beloved profile. The last twenty-four hours had been filled with that, and it delighted her to think that she had years of ahead of her. He reached out, tugging her closer, and spooning her back against his chest.

Closing her eyes she drifted into blissful oblivion as he languidly explored her body with gentle loving hands, lips and fingers. It all became like a dream, as if she was floating. He was gentle but strong, delicate but persistent and seemed to know exactly where to touch her to send her.

He opened his eyes as her head fell back onto his shoulder, leaving her delicate neck exposed to him. He kissed a train from her jaw to her collarbone, committing every inch to memory.

Lifting her hand she brought it back to stroke his hair and hold him to her. He closed his eyes, completely overcome. He wanted to touch her, he wanted to take her, he wanted to make this moment last forever. He wanted Amy.

Their joining earlier was more than he could have ever imagined. Their bodies molded together, thrusting and moving against one another in a blaze of need. His body was on fire, his skin aflame. Her touch sent shards of delight to every part of him and when he closed his eyes, flashes and sparks danced behind his eyelids.

His hands caressed her, stroking over her hips and abdomen, before he gripped her hips tightly and pulled her close.

She cried out as his exploring fingers covered her –she was hot, insistent, and beautiful. She turned her head back and kissed her gently, reverently, as he learned the shape and feel of her, gauging her reactions and revisiting the places that made her gasp and jolt. She writhed and squirmed under his hands, deliciously at his mercy, her fingers alternately tangling in his hair and rasping against the sheets.

More than ready, she raised her hips off the bed as he pushed himself into her. With a cry she threw her head back and thrust herself back towards him as he plunged deep. It was the most extraordinary feeling. She was where she belonged, with the one person in the world who knew who she really was.

He was thrusting up against her, as she ground down on to him, and he felt almost disembodied as he heard her intense groans and whimpers build to a pleading crescendo.

Both of them warm and drowsy, they came together in a gentle exchange of love and lust. Amy's heaving body slumped back on to his chest and she lay there taking deep gasping breaths. He wrapped his arms around her and reached for the blankets, pulling the covers over them, still wrapped tightly in each other's arms, they sank back into the world of dreams.

* * *

The next morning, Sheldon woke up to see Amy sleeping on her side, facing him. Her expression was peaceful and more relaxed than he could recall ever seeing. The sheet was barely covering her chest and hips, and he couldn't imagine anything sexier than the way she looked in that moment… until he started thinking about the night before.

She opened her eyes, blinking a few times to clear the fogginess from her vision. A radiant smile followed only a moment later. "Good morning," she said, stretching.

Unabashed, Sheldon watched her movements a small smile tugging around his lips.

"What?" she asked, self-consciousness creeping into her voice, ever aware of the added light from the sunlight outside.

Sheldon reached out and she moved up next to him and laying her head on his shoulder. "I always knew you liked to cuddle," she giggled.

"Mmmmmm…" He wrapped his arms around her and caressed her bare back. "I do like this. I get to touch you all over."

"Last night was amazing." She moved her palm over his bare chest.

"I'll say. You know, I never thought anything would make me miss Sunday morning Dr. Who, and here I am…" She could feel him shrug. "I don't even care."

Laughing quietly, she said, "I'm glad."

He ran his fingers up her spine.

She shivered and smiled against his chest.

Kissing her forehead, he started thinking about last night, which led to thoughts about their current situation. "I hate to bring it up, but we need to talk about how we plan to proceed after last night."

Looking up at him she said, "You mean after last night and this morning?"  
Sheldon pursed his lips. "We need to be serious. Do you want to end up pregnant?"

Sighing, she said, "That's not exactly the conversation I want to have at this moment, but you're right we need to talk about it. If it will help put your mind to ease, I am already on birth control."

Her statement floored him. He sat bolt upright taking her with him. Carefully and most deliberately, he asked, "You're what?"

"I know, I should have told you last night but I felt that explaining the reasons behind it might..." she trailed off, searching for the right word. "Kill the mood."

His eyes were wide as saucers. Not wanting to jump to any unnecessary conclusions, he swallowed. "Explain it now."

She looked up at him. "Well, about a year ago, it was prescribed to regulate my menstrual cycle. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome of which abnormal cycles are a primary symptom."

His shoulder sagged in momentous relief. "Why didn't you say anything then?"

She tilted her head, smiling at his she asked, "Well, for one, there was never really a good time to bring it up, and two, it's not exactly something you'd be interested in hearing over tea. Would you have really cared?

"Of course, I would have. I'm pretty fond of you, you know."

She looked up at him. "Pretty fond of me?"

"You're nice to have around." He shrugged.

"How endearing." She rolled her eyes.

He took a deep breath. "That's all then? Besides the irregularity, there's nothing else wrong?"

"Nothing else." She promised, touched by his concern for her. She caressed his chest softly.

"Good." He held her tightly. "But I also suggest we use a back up. Nothing is foolproof, and I do not desire the fresh hell that will rain down upon me if I were to get you pregnant out of wedlock."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting that you'll get me pregnant in it?"

He glared at her. "You're losing focus of this entire conversation." Then sighed, as she placed kisses his neck. "You're going to be much more trouble now, I just know it."

She leaned back and looked him in the eye. "And you won't be?"

"You're not taking this seriously."

Amy sighed. "Okay Sheldon, if you want to use a back up that's fine. I don't believe it's necessary as I am already on the pill. But if that's what will help put your mind to ease, I am all right with it. End of subject."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "You're kind of bossy, you know that?"

"I am, but you like it," she smirked and pushed him onto his back. "Tell you what… You let me have my way with you this morning, and I'll let you boss me around for the rest of the day."

He gasped as her hand audaciously explored under the sheets. Voice strained, he answered, "I think I could handle that bargain."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Note: Oh, I just can't leave the glorious girl talk alone… **_

Chapter 8

Amy stood at the counter listening to the coffee pot as it filled with a delicious Italian roast. She was exhausted but invigorated beyond belief. Even if she wanted to, she knew she would never be able to go back to sleep. Her mind was on a continuous replay of the night's and morning's activities. She looked up from the coffee pot at the sound of the front door opening.

"Oh, hey Ames, morning."

"Good morning to you too, bestie." Amy smiled brightly at her. "Coffee?"

"Oooo, yes please."

After grabbing a couple of mugs from the cupboard, Amy poured them both a cup of coffee and indicated Penny should sit, but before doing so, Penny glanced around the room. "Where's Sheldon?"

"Doing laundry."

"Oh?" Penny grinned over the rim of her cup. "It's not laundry night."

"I know." Amy's face felt like it was on fire under her friends open scrutiny, but she tried to ignore it. Stating matter-of-factly she said, "My clothes from yesterday never got dry."

"Okay, yeah sure."They sat in silence for several minutes and drank their coffee before Penny broached the subject of the day's interrogation.

It was a game of sorts and Amy was willing to play along for the time being. She knew however; she couldn't hold back anything from Penny too long, especially something as amazing as her and Sheldon finally making love. She nonchalantly brought her cup up to her lips, then before taking a sip she said, "We so did it."

"Aha!" The blonde pointed a finger at her. "I _knew_ it! Oh my God, tell me everything. How did it happen? Leave nothing out."

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"How did it happen?" Penny shrieked.

"Well, it just sorta _happened_. We were in bed…"

"So wait, he let you sleep with him?" She shook her head, astonished. "In the same bed?"

"Where else would I sleep?"

Penny made a small squeak in the back of her throat. "Okay, I'm sorry, go on."

"Anyway, we were in bed, I asked him for a kiss goodnight and we just... never really stopped."

"And…" Penny prompted and gestured that she continue.

"And what?"

Penny leaned forward, her eyes wide with anticipation "Oh my God, Amy, was it good? Was _he_ good? Did it hurt? How long did it last? The one thing you have to learn is that when it comes to girl talk and things like this, we need _details_."

"Omm," Amy started recalling her questions, "Yes, yes, it did at first a little, and approximately twenty-two minutes."

Penny rolled her eyes and sat back with a huff as Amy continued. "Okay, let's try another way, wait… twenty-two minutes?"

"Mm hmm."

"Wow, for his first time? Go, Sheldon."

Amy shifted a bit uncomfortably in her seat, winching slightly. Her look did not go unnoticed by her friend.

Penny lowered her voice, conspiratorially. "Did it hurt?"

"At first it was more of a burning sensation, but Sheldon was very gentle, and I was more than ready -which helped. Did you know that the reason a female experiences different degrees of pain when losing her virginity is because she was not properly lubricated beforehand?"

Penny blinked at her.

Amy shrugged. "You wanted details, did you not?"

Penny nodded downing her coffee. "You're right I asked for them, and boy, that little detail would have been nice to know in sex-ed class."

Amy watched as Penny got up and poured her another cup of coffee. After that revelation, she looked like she needed it.

Sitting back down Penny leaned forward, lowering her voice once more as if she thought they'd be overheard. "So did you guys figure it out okay?"

Amy gave the blonde an irked look. "Figure it out?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, you know, you were both virgins…"

"I know what you meant." Amy sat up a bit indignant. "And to answer your question, yes, we more than figured it out. The first time was amazing, but by the last time this morning I'd say we have more than the hang of it."

"Wait, wait, hold on!" Penny waved her hand wildly. "How many times have you two…"

Amy cut her off, nodding proudly. "Four."

"Four times?!"

Amy felt a blush creep up her cheeks."Yes, once last night and three times this morning."

Penny's mouth hung open slightly. Half in shock, half impressed. "Wow, you weren't kidding with his love of repetition."

Amy grinned. "Indeed."

Amy got up for some more coffee and took the tea pot off the stove while Penny sat at the barstool in silent contemplation. Every now and then she would shake her head.

After a moment Penny said, "You know I could get used to this."

Amy tilted her head taking her seat. "What?"

"Oh you know, coming over here and having coffee with you in the morning."

Amy smiled. "Me too."

Penny took another drink. "Do you think sleepovers are going to become a regular thing with you two?"

Amy thought for a moment before replying, "I'm really not sure. We have a tentative date scheduled to go over the relationship agreement, Sheldon did say he wanted to take things slow still, but that was before last night." Amy shrugged. "We'll see."

"Well, I'd say if you're already up to four times on your first day, plan on being a busy girl for a while Amy Farrah Fowler."

Amy agreed. "I do have a question for you."

"Sure."

"Do you find the shower head here to be sufficient enough to support your weight?"

Penny had just taken a sip of coffee and sprayed the mouthful across the table. As she grabbed a nearby towel she dabbed it over herself and the table, she demanded, "I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm sorry, do you and Leonard not have shower sex?"

"Omm, yeah…"

"Well then, is that not how you do it?"

"Omm…"

"Then again, Sheldon does have a significant height advantage over Leonard…" Amy drummed her fingers on the table, and then smiled widely at her shocked friend. "It's not really that important. Sheldon was able to support my weight without the aid of a perch but I was just curious."

Penny ran her tongue over her teeth. "There you go again with those details."

Amy's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, was that too much?"

Smiling, Penny relaxed her shoulders. "No sweetie, I think it's just shock that you guys are actually doing it now. I'll get over it."

Just then the door opened, revealing Sheldon with a basket full of folded laundry.

"Oh good morning, Penny."

"Good morning, Sheldon." Penny grinned at Amy. Once he returned from putting the laundry away, she asked, "How are you doing this morning?"

His face broke into the most dazzling smile she'd ever seen. "Oh I'm great. The powers back on, I can finally get online, and I've officially lost what you would refer to as my "V card"..."

Once again Penny, took a drink at the wrong time, but managed to cover her mouth and swallow it before she sprayed Amy. Between coughs, she croaked, "So I've heard."

Sheldon half heartedly glared at his girlfriend. "Really, Amy? She's not here ten minutes?"

Getting up to grab him a mug for his tea, she countered. "You weren't in the room one minute."

"Fair point."

Leaning down, he took her by the hips pulling her to him, and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. Thanking her, he took the cup from her he returned to the counter to make him some tea.

Penny stared at them in horror. "I gotta go."

Sheldon and Amy watched as their friend made a hasty retreat. Amy looked up at Sheldon's baffled expression.

"That was weird. I wonder what's wrong with her."

Amy shrugged. "I have no idea."

* * *

Amy and Sheldon walked into the apartment later that night to see their friends gathered around their usual table in the living room. During the years, it had become a weekly ritual for them to gather on Sunday nights for dinner before going back to work the following morning.

"Hey, guys. We were just talking about you." Leonard said as he waved at the food in front of them. Penny, Bernadette, Howard, and Raj were also at the table seated in their usual spots.

"Oh? What gossip have you been spewing at our expense?" Sheldon took his coat off and hung it on his desk chair, then helping Amy off with hers, and placing it over his coat.

Penny said, "Nothing, we were just wondering what was taking you guys so long. We didn't want your food to get cold."

Sheldon sat down. "Well, that was thoughtful," he said missing the looks of amusement by everyone around the room.

Howard asked, "So, how did everyone brave the storm?"

Amy handed Sheldon a bottled water and sat close beside him.

Raj spoke up, "It was horrible. My poor little Cinnamon hid under my bed almost the entire time." Penny gave him a sympathetic frown. "She's very sensitive."

Leonard shrugged. "Aside from losing power it was no big deal, we just stayed inside."

"So, no one did anything fun?" Howard prodded, which earned him a kick to the shin.

"So, how's work going Penny?" Bernadette said, in a loud enough voice to drown out Howard's pained cry.

"It's all right," She answered. "Working with Wil is a lot of fun, but that's about it."

Leonard added, "Yeah, this week she gets to shoot a scene out in the Hollywood hills, or as they prefer to call it, 'the jungle.'"

Leonard laughed quietly as Penny punched her boyfriend in the arm.

Raj asked, "Hey? Does anyone know who got the invite this year for the CERN lecture?"

Leonard jumped in, "I don't think it's been announced yet."

Raj's shoulder shrugged. "I really want to go again... Last time was so magical."

Leonard glared at Raj and mumbled. "For _you_, maybe."

Amy asked, "What happened?"

"I got asked to attend the lecture and I was going to take Penny-"

Sheldon interrupted, adding as a side to Amy. "A woman who couldn't even begin to appreciate the significance bestowed upon her..."

Leonard interjected into the commentary, "But Penny told Sheldon he could go because it meant so much to him, and to make a long story short, both Penny and Sheldon came down with the flu at the last minute and Raj went in their place."

"Gee, dude, thanks for making it sound like I was a random hobo on the street you just had to pick up," Raj said, a bit put out.

"Awe, I'm sorry you got to miss that," Amy said, patting Sheldon's knee.

Sheldon pointed across the room at Penny. "It was all her fault, her and her germs. This is why I don't let people touch me."

Not missing a beat, Howard said, "Well, we all know one person that get's to touch ya."

Bernadette scolded, "Howard!"

Sheldon sighed quietly at the innuendo in Howard's voice. He knew Penny would blab to everyone. Meeting Amy's eyes she smiled and shook her head slightly. They both knew everyone would find out eventually anyways but that didn't mean they couldn't have some fun with it.

"Yes, and when she does, it's _highly_ satisfactory." Sheldon assured them.

Penny sprayed her wine back in her glass. "Damn it, Sheldon!"

"Wow," Raj said, stunned. "I can't believe he just went there."

Leonard laughed. "Okay, we all know about it. Let's leave them alone."

Bernadette learned toward Amy to catch her attention. Quietly, she said, "We are _so_ having a conversation later."

Leaning back across to her, Amy whispered back, "Oh yeah."

Sheldon rolled his eyes at yet another 'Girl's night'. Then the more he thought about it, he realized it would only give him an excuse for Amy to sleep over. Suddenly, 'girl's night' wasn't such a bad thing after all.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Note: Thank you all for the comments. I love hearing them all. This is a short chapter but there is lots more to follow soon. Enjoy. 3**_

Chapter 9

Sheldon wrote frantically on his whiteboard attempting to keep up with the ideas and formulas running chaotically through his mind.

His morning at work started out like all the others -only today, the very moment he sat down to stare at his board, he had a thought. Curious, he stood up and grabbing his marker he wrote an equation. Which lead to another and then another. All too soon equations began unfolding before him. The more fluid they became, the more he wrote. And the more he wrote, the more he found he couldn't stop. It had been so long since his work actually excited him.

Four hours later, Sheldon leaned back against his desk admiring the work he'd done in such a small amount of time. Three different instances he had to call Alex to go get him another whiteboard, filling them up with complex equations as quickly as he thought of them. Staring at the board he couldn't quite believe his own eyes. It was a rather audacious theory. He would, of course, need time to study and research it, but even if half of it validated his hypothesis the implications would be nothing less than astonishing.

He needed to go see President Siebert. He would have to pitch his new theory as soon as humanly possible. A Nobel Prize waits for no one. But first, checking his watch, he noticed it was nearly lunchtime. He took out his phone and sent a message to Amy.

_Lunch today?_

_I'd love to!_

_Great. Meet me in my office at 12:30._

_Your office?_

_Yes, I__ have something to show you, and I thought it would be nice if it was just the two of us._

_Okay, great see you then._

_FYI, no need to bring food. I will have lunch for us._

_Heart you._

He rolled his eyes at her hippy-dippy response. Girls. He huffed, attempting to look annoyed; however, the smile on his face as he left his office said something else entirely.

* * *

Thanking the cafeteria woman, Sheldon took the to-go lunches and two bottles of water from the counter. She looked at him as if he she never seen him before, and not in actuality every Monday through Friday for the last seven years. Normally, the older woman had the disposition of the tax auditor. Today, she smiled back at him with a confused look on her face when he inquired how her day was going.

He fully understood her attitude; he'd be sullen if he had to do her job day in and day out with no hope of ever contributing anything meaningful to the future. Her eyebrows lifted even further into her hairline when he told her to have a nice day. Not that he particularly cared. Normally, he wouldn't even care to ask but today just happened to be an extraordinary day.

On his way back through the cafeteria, Leonard's voice caught his attention, and gestured for Sheldon join them.

He approached the table, and once there apologized. "Sorry, I can't join you today. I'm having lunch with Amy."

"Oh, are you guys having lunch in her lab?" Leonard asked, taking a drink of his Coke.

"No, in my office."

Howard drawled, "Office sex, Sheldon? I never would have guessed you had it in you. Gonna get kinky and break in the desk?"

Sheldon straightened his shoulders, swallowing his annoyance; he turned a smiling face to Howard. "On a normal day, I would simply ignore your juvenile attempts to embarrass me. However, today I'm in a good mood, so I'm just going to point out that I, unlike you, do not suffer from a muscular or height impediment, therefore, I don't need a desk; I can take _my_ woman up against the wall."

Howard's mouth fell open, Raj burst into a fit of nervous giggles, and Leonard held his fist to his mouth to keep from laughing out loud at the looks on their face.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I don't want to be late." He turned to leave but as a forethought quickly added, "Have a good day."

* * *

Amy knocked lightly on Sheldon's office door. There was a moment's breath between before it opened revealing her boyfriend. He was wearing a blue Superman shirt over a red undershirt, making his bright cerulean eyes stand out. Her breath caught in her throat. Blue. She thought. He should always wear blue.

"Hi."

_Hi? That's it? You have a PhD in neurobiology and all you can say is "hi"? Nice, Fowler._

He stood there looking at her with a delighted smile, and after a moment, he said, "Hello, Amy." He held the door as she walked though, closing it behind him.

Her heart swelled and she returned his smile, her throat too tight to respond.

But Amy's attention drifted to the array of white boards filling the room. "What's all this?"

"This," he began, gesturing around him. "amalgamation is a new theory I came up with."

"A new theory?"

He leaned against his desk, crossing his arms, as he explained, "Yes, this morning, I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but I sat down and it was just all there."

Amy slowly turned, her eyes running over his intricate writing, her fingers itching to touch it. "Wow," she breathed, impressed didn't quite cover what she was feeling."So, I can see a few different things on here but, what does this all mean?"

Pushing himself off the desk he walked up to stand behind her. Pointing over her shoulder, he said,"Well, here I made up for the observer-dependence and have combined general relativity and quantum theory into a single complete theory. While it has been falsifiable in certain domains, I believe I can refute that now."

Amy did not pretend to know much about physics to the depth of her boyfriend, but she did know this was big. Really big.

"Sheldon," she turned to him. She was quiet for a long moment, staring into his eyes. The impact of this in his field of study and the world of physics would be enormous. "This is truly amazing."

A small smile played across his lips. "I know."

His eye's drifted from the board to meet hers. Tension filled the room. Amy always knew he was brilliant, however coupling this with her new found knowledge of him, left her with a desire so strong she wanted nothing more to have him take her right now.

She didn't care they were in his office. She didn't care she had to be back for a lecture in thirty minutes. She just wanted him. Right now.

His pupils were so dilated that his eyes appeared almost black. He wanted her too, just as bad.

Before Amy knew what was happening, his lips were on hers. The kiss started with their heads at an awkward angle, but they soon overcame that obstacle and, after a few changes of position, they fitted together like two pieces of a puzzle. Their mouths softened and opened, and their gentle kiss soon escalated into a desperate and aching need to be part of one another. Her hands were tangled in his hair; his hands were possessively on her hips grounding her against him."

Amy tore her lips away from his long enough to gasp, "The door."

Sheldon nodded, taking her lips again, he walked them back to the door. Locking it, Sheldon pushed Amy against the door, her back thudding against its hard surface. Pressing against her more firmly, he left her in no doubt about the effect she was having on him.

Amy groaned against his lips, "Sheldon, please."

His hands ran down her thighs, pushing up and under the bottom of her skirt, and slowly pulled it up. The heat of his fingertips followed the path of her skirt until it was around her waist. He lifted her leg and hooked it over his hip. Bending his knees, he ground into her before lifting her up. He hoisted her off the ground and her arms draped around his shoulders as she hung on for dear life. Her legs wrapped around his hips, as he held her against the door. Breaking away from her lips, he kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear and whispered, "Say it."

Amy gasped, her fingers curling into his shirt. Amy was lost. "Take me, Dr. Cooper."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Note: FYI, I love the reviews. Love, love, love them. Keep them coming because they only encourage me to write everyday. ;) **_

_**As for this chapter, we've all been there. At least, I have -and I couldn't imagine it not happening to our Shamy, too.**_

_**Enjoy.**_

* * *

Chapter 10

Later that night Amy sighed and flopped back onto her couch. Grabbing the remote beside her she turned on her television, and began browsing through the channels. All the while, as she'd been tending to things that needed to get done at home, she'd had to contend with this droning inner monologue telling her that she did not have to be with Sheldon every night. That she was a neurobiologist and while she might be in love, she could maturely confront the feelings of withdrawal with logic and self control. That last little piece of advice had come somewhat too late though.

As she flipped though the channels, Amy called out to the room, "Boring…. more boring... Oooo, he's hot," she said, pausing in her pursuit of distraction. "Wow, so is he."

Amy settled into the comfort of her couch, and soon became engrossed in the story line unfolding on the screen. Pirates, Rumplestiltskin, and a handsome Robin Hood who seemed to be in love with an Evil Queen –who turned out to be not so evil. The fairy tale she fell into almost made her forget about her phone that sat on the table in front of her. Almost. Picking it up she checked to see if she might have missed a message from him.

Nothing.

She pursed her lips.

"Good to know he's just fine," she mumbled. "Don't text me. It's all right. I'm just sitting here going out of my mind all alone. At least Prince Charming and Robin are attentive to their girlfriends… Oh, damn, Captain Hook is hot too."

Picking up her remote she shuffled through the menus on the screen. _"Once Upon A Time_. Why yes, I would like to set up a season pass."

For one blissful moment, she'd toyed with the idea of going over to his apartment, but reason told her this was only a phase. Looking at her phone for the tenth time in as many minutes, she stuffed it angrily under her pillow.

It was time for some wine. Walking into her kitchen she opened a bottle of wine. Pouring herself a glass, she took a long drink as she rummaged through her cabinets. What she needed was a snack. Grabbing a bag of popcorn, she threw it in the microwave.

Resting her shoulder against the wall, she waited for the popcorn, absentmindedly drinking her wine as she watched the dashing Captain Hook attempting to win over the reluctant, Miss Swan. She glared at the screen in jealous indignation.

Two episodes and two glasses of wine later, she hesitantly pulled her phone out from under the pillow. Still nothing. She thought about putting it in her room, out of sight, out of mind, but instead shoved it back under the pillow. Huffing, she got up and went to the freezer pulling out the ice cream. She had no idea that she would find the transition from platonic to intimate so difficult.

At least she had her show to distract her.

It wouldn't kill him to send her a text though.

* * *

For the last four hours, Sheldon had sat at his desk on his laptop. There was just too much he needed to get done. If he could at least get this rough draft finished, he just might have enough time to Skype with Amy before she went to bed.

He sighed heavily.

He had to focus. Sitting up straighter, he looked down at his keyboard. Getting his paper done was of the upmost importance. He pursed his lips in silent contemplation and then slumped in defeat. The problem was, was he simply could not get her out of his head.

His phone sat off to the right beside his laptop. He would finish a paragraph in his paper, and then would look down at his phone expecting a notification from her.

But alas, nothing came.

All too soon it became a vicious cycle; causing his paper to take much longer than it normally would have. He rubbed his eyes. Why couldn't he just concentrate? That thought generated another internal eye roll and a not-so-silent snort of derision. He knew why; he'd been thwarted and there was nothing Sheldon Cooper hated more than being thwarted.

Shaking his head, he was in the middle of a thought when his phone chimed, lighting up with a message. Picking it up quickly, he then sighed disappointed.

It was from Howard.

With another roll of his eyes, he read the message.

_**Leonard told me about the problems you're having. For God's sakes, Sheldon, stop clawing at the walls and go see your girlfriend.**_

Sheldon looked over at Leonard who smiled widely at him from his desk.

Sheldon ignored him, putting the phone back in its spot, and went back to staring at his computer before waving a dismissive hand in his direction.

The whole situation was absurd.

Soon he jolted up indignantly in his chair. "I'm not clawing at the walls."

Leonard guffawed and Sheldon did a double take at the look on his face. "Noooo, you've just been sitting over there sighing all night with your phone glued to your hand. You obviously want to talk to Amy so just do it already and stop torturing yourself."

Sheldon gave him a withering look and turned his chair towards him. "Leonard, I saw Amy today at work, I think I can manage to go two nights without her, just like I've been doing everyday for the last four years."

"Yeah, but during those four years you never touched one another."

Sheldon added, pointedly, "That's not true. I held her hand."

Leonard shook his head, then suggested, "She's probably doing the same thing you are."

That thought gave him pause. "You really think so?"

"Sheldon, don't you remember how Penny and I were when we first got together? We were pretty much inseparable for the first few months. That's how it works in intimate relationships. It's new and exciting. And you just want to be with each other all the time."

Sheldon shrugged his comment away. "You and Penny are vastly different than Amy and I. We are not slaves to our baser urges."

"Okay, I can't get any work done with you around right now." Leonard stood up from his desk. "Say what you want, but you know as well as I do that you'd rather be with Amy right now than doing whatever it is that you're doing. So, have a good night living in denial. I am going to stay at Penny's and give into my baser urges."

The door shut and Sheldon's attention flickered back towards the screen in front of him.

Closing his eyes he chanted. "I am the master of my baser urges."

* * *

Closing her eyes, she began to drift in the world of sleep. Through the haze of impending slumber, she could have sworn she heard the distant familiar sound of Sheldon's ring tone. Amy sat bolt upright, grabbing her phone she smiled and answered excitedly. "Hello."

His voice was tentative, but warmer than she'd expected. "Hello."

"How are you, Sheldon?" She asked, trying not to sound too eager to hear from him.

"I'm all right. How are you?"

She slumped against the couch in relief and rested her head on the back of the cushion. "I'm fine."

"I just finished my rough draft to President Siebert."

"That's good."

Sheldon responded, "I still need to work on it but the hard part is out of the way."

"Oh, well I'm sure it will be great."

"What have you been doing tonight?"

"Oh not much. Watching some TV. Actually you might be proud of me, I have been become hooked on a fantasy television show." She turned and swung her legs up onto the couch snuggling back into it.

"Reeeeally? What show?"

With a slight chuckle she said, "_Once Upon A Time_."

"Hmm, I don't know that one, but judging by the title it sounds like a hippie-dippy show for girls, anyways."

"I don't know…" She rolled her shoulders to try and relax her muscles. "I think you might like. It has pirates, magic, and mystical creatures. I've spent all evening doing one of your all night season watching-things. "

"Amy Farrah Fowler, are you having a marathon without me?"

With a twitch of her lips, she teased, "I thought you said it was a hippie-dippy girl's show?"

"Well, if you're going to be watching a fantasy genre it would only make sense for me to be there. You know, in case you have any questions."

She smiled as if he were standing in right in front of her. "That's a bit of a reach, even for you. Why don't you just admit you want to see me?"

"I saw you ten hours ago." he stated, obviously.

"Ohhhh, I remember."

"I shouldn't need to see you again so soon."

"I know. I feel the same way."

She could hear him sigh heavily. "We need to get a handle on this. We've gone days, weeks even without seeing one another and not less than four days ago, this never bothered us. It's infuriating and illogical."

She shook her head. "It's actually quite normal. In Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love, he defines different levels of love that are connected to relationships. What we are feeling is defined as Passionate love which correlates to the excitement and newness stage. Certain specific chemical components are increasing our neurotransmitters especially to phenylethylamine. It's a way for couples to express feelings of nurture, dominance, submission, and self-actualization through this stage of infatuation."

"Hmm, is there some sort of cure for this?"

"Only time, but don't worry, based on the theory we should be back to ourselves in about a year."

"A year?" Amy could hear the mock exasperation and his voice. "I'll never survive this. Do you have any idea what you do to me woman?"

"No more than what you do to me," she replied, sitting up and grabbing the remote beside her.

"What are you doing?"

Her brows furrowed. "Right now?"

"Yes."

"Well I'm going to get ready for bed and then try to get some sleep." _And try not to think about you..._

"Why would you want to do that?"

Damn. Did she just say that out loud?

"What? Not think about you?"

She heard him draw in a breath. "Yes."

Amy's face heated at her confession. _In for a penny…_ "Because I've gotten used to having you as my pillow."

His voice sounded rusty. "Indeed."

Amy heard a dinging sound in the background. "What are _you_ doing?"

"Nothing, I'm on my way to bed."

Turning out the lights in her apartment, she went to her bedroom and started to change for bed.

Opening her dresser drawer, Amy began to pull out one of her regular nightgowns, when she noticed the nightgown Penny loaned her sitting on top of her clean pile of laundry. She told Sheldon to hold on a second and undressing, put on the soft lavender nightgown. She was going to have to find out where Penny purchased it.

Amy couldn't say why, but she somehow she felt closer to Sheldon wearing it. Perhaps she would be able to sleep better in?

Picking up her phone, she said, "Sorry, I'm back."

"Where did you go?" he asked.

Casually, she replied. "I just had to change for bed,"

He paused, and then he prompted her, "Into?"

Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Amy," he nearly whined.

She was now chuckling. Finally, she admitted, "I'm wearing the nightgown Penny lent me."

"The one from…"

She interrupted, with a tease in for voice, "The one from the night in your bed, yes."

"Mmm."

Shyly Amy, asked, "Did you like it?"

"I wouldn't mind seeing it again."

Again, Amy failed to stifle a smile. She was silently rejoicing at the revelation. "Well, we'll have to remedy that soon."

"Agreed."

She laughed quietly. "It's getting late. Shouldn't you be in bed by now?"

"As I said before, I'm on my way. Are you in bed?"

"Just about."

"Perhaps you should go to sleep?"

She turned off the light and pulling the covers back, she got into bed. "I know I should but I don't want to hang up yet."

He was silent for a full minute before answering in a voice gruff with emotion. "You realize how irrational that sounds?"

"I do."

He sounded relieved. "It's just as well; I have an equally irrational confession to make."

She propped herself up on her elbow, her head in her hand she responded, "Oh?"

"Yes, but to confess that to you I'm going to need you to hang up your phone."

Her smiled faded. "What? How can you confess something if I hang up?"

He sighed. "Amy, don't ask questions. Just trust me and hang up your phone."

"Okay, but…"

"No buts', just hang up."

"Fine, Sheldon," she took a deep breath and huffed.

"Amy… don't be mad. Just trust me."

Her voice softened. "Okay, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Amy hung up her phone and placed it on her bedside table. Pulling her covers over her, she turned on her side so she could see the moment her phone lit up. She watched it waiting for a message or maybe even another callback. Why would he tell her he had a confession and then make her hang up her phone? Unless...

And then she heard it.

_Knock knock knock,_ "Amy."

_Knock knock knock,_ "Amy."

_Knock knock knock_, "Amy."

Gasping, she threw back the covers off of herself and ran to the door. Unlocking it, she yanked it open and looked up at him with startled eyes. He stood there with a duffle bag in hand, looking very proud of himself.

"As I said, I have an irrational confession to make."

"What's that?"

"The thought of being without you, even for one more night, makes me feel like living without physics or trains. And I don't want to feel like that."

Taking a decisive step into her apartment and swung the door shut behind him. He took her into his arms and he dipping his head lower, he kissed her.

After a moment, she pulled back a little and looked into his eyes. Standing on her toes, she suggested in a whisper, "Let's go to bed."

* * *

Several hours later, as they lay in each other's arms, her head tucked under his chin and her fingers stroking random patterns across his chest, she leaned up and pressed her lips against his neck.

He closed his eyes, blissful and sated. His fingers skittered down her arm, making her shiver.

She nuzzled his jaw line and whispered in his ear, "Goodnight, Sheldon."

Kissing her temple, he mumbled against her forehead. "Goodnight, Amy."


	11. Chapter 11

_**Note: I hope no one is getting board with the story. In reality, it probably should have ended a while ago, but I just can't seem to stop. Here's another one for you just in case you like it as much as I. ;)**_

* * *

_Several hours later, as they lay in each other's arms, her head tucked under his chin and her fingers stroking random patterns across his chest, she leaned up and pressed her lips against his neck._

_He closed his eyes, blissful and sated. His fingers skittered down her arm, making her shiver. _

_She nuzzled his jaw line and whispered in his ear, "Goodnight, Sheldon."_

_Kissing her temple, he mumbled against her forehead. "Goodnight, Amy."_

* * *

Chapter 11

After leaving for work the next morning, they'd returned to their work and everything continued without incident. After they left their jobs, they returned to Sheldon's for dinner – much like they'd done every week – but this time, after they'd cleaned up and had their last tea for the night, instead of parting ways, Amy had stayed.

Their life had made a quantum shift in the days that followed. She and Sheldon had made immediate changes to their relationship agreement. It included sleepovers and their new found extracurricular activities.

Amy marveled at the subtleness of the change, it had seemed so normal and they, and their friends, had slipped into acceptance of this reality without a moment's pause. The amount of attention Sheldon unexpectantly craved blew Amy away. She always assumed before they became intimate that he would grow to like the physical element, once he got used to it. What she never expected was once he did embrace that intimacy how much would initiate it himself.

What was amazing was that it was not just sexual in nature. It became about simple touches. Sitting close at dinner, holding hands down the stairs, cuddling while watching a movie all became normal things.

There was even an instance when they sat in the kitchen, drinking tea and talking about their day, just like they've done a thousand times before. Only this time, he took hold of her hand, absentmindedly rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand as he told her about his meeting with some colleagues.

It was completely unlike Sheldon, but so uniquely him at the same time. His personality, his sarcasm, his quirks never changed. It was only a tiny facet of him, that unless you knew him, you'd never know the difference.

Honestly, it was more of an adjustment for Amy. For years she held back, always careful not to touch him, and even when she did to approach him slowly. It was very difficult for her not to fall back into her old routine. However, Sheldon more than made up for any of her absentminded inconsistencies.

The following Saturday, Amy sat next to Sheldon on the couch, leaning against him with her legs tucked under her as she read one of her neurobiology texts. Sheldon was equally immersed in his own research.

The door to the apartment opened, and Amy looked up at her best friend and smiled. "Hello."

Penny did a double take at the couple on the couch. "Hey, Ames."

Penny turned to Leonard nodding at them. "Just how long have they been like that?"

Leonard glanced over his shoulder from his desk at the pair and shrugged. "Pretty much all day."

Penny mouthed a 'wow', earning a nod from her boyfriend.

"Yeah, I'm starting to wonder if they're not joined at the hip."

She laughed, but the couple in question didn't bat an eye. Amy's head was now resting on Sheldon's shoulder.

Clapping her hands together Penny announced, "Okay Amy, that's it. Get up. You're coming with me for the rest of the day."

Amy glanced at Sheldon. He raised his eyebrows in question.

"Where?"

"We are going to go get Bernadette and go shopping. It's time for you and Sheldon to come up for some air." The corner of her mouth went up in a smirk.

"But-"Sheldon began but was immediately cut off by the blonde.

Shaking her finger at him, she said, "Ah ah ah, no buts', it's already been arranged. The guys are going to come over, and you all can play your games for a while."

Sheldon raised both eyebrows in disbelief and muttered something about who Penny thought she was. But at the same time, Amy gave him a pat on the knee and closing her book she stood up. "All right, let me just get ready."

Amy disappeared off in the direction of Sheldon's bedroom.

Leonard turned in his chair to face Sheldon. "Howard and Raj are on their way over with pizza. What do you say we break in the PS 4 today?"

Sheldon sat a little straighter and his eyes alight with interest, but his stubborn sense kicked in. "Well it looks like I'm being given no choice."

Leonard laughed. "Can you hear yourself right now?"

Sheldon crossed his arms defensively. "I don't know to what you are referring."

"Oh, please." Leonard stood from his chair to stand in front of his friend. "How many times over the years have you given me no end of grief because I wanted to spend time with Penny over playing video games?"

Their eyes met in the memory but Sheldon added, "Your point?"

"My point is, I got over it and so will you. So suck it up."

Amy returned from the bedroom saving Sheldon from a reply. She grabbed her purse from beside Sheldon's desk. "Okay, bestie lets go."

"Great." Penny gave Leonard a quick peck on the lips. "See you later, sweetie."

"Okay, have fun," he replied.

Sheldon walked over to Amy before she got out the door. "I guess I'll see you tonight."

Amy smiled warmly up at him. "Cheer up, you could use some time with the boys."

"I've already had time with them on comic book night, and Halo night, and dinner last night," he argued, somewhat lamely.

"Well now you can have some fun with your new gaming system."

He tilted his pursed lips in thought. "That's true. I haven't even started Assassins Creed yet."

"See, you'll be fine." She nodded, her eyes glinting with love and amusement.

"Mmm hmm."

Amy rose up on her toes and pulled him down for a kiss. Breaking away she whispered, "I'll be sure to stop and get a couple new night gowns of my own." She shot him a wicked grin.

Sheldon arched an eyebrow as they separated. "What are you waiting for, get going then."

Amy grinned. She turned to see her best friend waiting by the stairs, who wore a 'deer in the headlights' look.

Amy tilted her head at the blonde. "Something wrong?"

Penny shook her head as they began their decent down to the car. "Nope. Not a thing."

Silence filled the stairway until Penny's voice broke the silence once again. "I'm never going to get used to that."

* * *

Just over an hour later, Sheldon and the gang were in an intense battle in Assassins Creed when the screen before them went dark.

Raj looked around wildly. "Wait, what just happened?"

Alarmed, Sheldon asked, "Did someone switch it off?"

"No."

"Not me."

"Wasn't me."

The room went immediately into overdrive. Everyone rose in their seats and surrounded the entertainment center.

"I'll check the power cords." Leonard said.

Sheldon suggested. "Maybe it restarted?"

"Hey, check it out. The blue light is blinking." Raj observed.

"Okay people, move aside." Howard looked at the PS 4 and then back down at the cords. "Leonard, you unplug it from the outlet."

Sheldon groaned, knowing this could mean no good for his new console. "Check the hard drive. I heard there have been issues with the way it's screwed."

"That's what Amy said." Raj grinned,raising his eyebrows suggestively, in attempting to relieve the tension in the room.

In his most serious tone, Sheldon simply said, "I'm sorry, but I think you have the coitus I have with my girlfriend confused with your own non-existent sex life, as I've have no such complaints in that department."

There was a loud pregnant pause before Leonard burst out laughing and Raj scowled.

Howard looked over at Sheldon amazed. "There is really no end to your confidence is there?"

"None." Sheldon smirked good-naturedly.

Shaking his head, he went on, "Okay, the hard drive is fine. Let's try a system restart."

They all tensed as they waited for it to power on.

After a few moments, Raj's shoulders slumped. "It's not going to start."

"Let's try booting it in safe mode, I'll check the tech forums," Leonard said, walking over to his desk.

Sheldon seemed completely unfazed. "Boy am I glad I haven't put in all the hours I could have invested in it yet. Think of all that game play that could be lost."

"So now that we have time to kill, tell us Sheldon, how is life?" Howard said as he waited for the screen in front of him to power on.

"Well actually, I do have some news I've been waiting to share with you all." He sipped his tea to give himself time to formulate his answer. Sheldon could feel the eyes of everyone in the room staring and waiting.

Suddenly, Raj replied, with wide eyes. "Oh my God, you and Amy are getting married!"

"What?" Leonard gave Sheldon a startled look.

Sheldon shook his head and sighed. "No, Amy and I are not getting married."

"Aww," Raj practically yelled, but when heads turned, he lowered his voice and repeated, "What, I'm a romantic and I ship the Shamy."

Sheldon rolled his eyes at Raj, his attention going back to his news. "You all know I submitted my paper to the university and a few other colleagues." The guys nodded and continued on, "Well, its spread like wildfire and today I receive an invitation to Delft University to present my work on the unification of theories." Sheldon smirked.

Leonard, Howard, and Raj's beaming faces met his.

"Wow!"

"That's great."

"When?"

Sheldon took his empty tea cup to the sink. On his way back he crossed his arms stopping beside the TV. "Actually, I'll be leaving next Friday and will be presenting over the weekend."

"Congratulations, Sheldon." Leonard grinned.

"That's great news," Howard agreed.

"Thank you." Sheldon nodded.

Raj took a seat in the arm chair. "Are you taking Amy with you?"

Heaving a heavy sigh he admitted, "Actually, I haven't gotten a chance to ask her yet."

Leonard's eyebrows rose. "How come?"

His eyes flashed with guilt and he shrugged reluctantly. "I just found out about it this morning, and I was going to talk to her about it tonight but then she was rudely kidnapped by your significant others."

Leonard was about to say something by stopped and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Aww, don't worry she'll go. I mean a weekend in the Netherlands with your boyfriend…" Sheldon flashed him a withering look, but Raj ignored it. "It's going to be romantic whether you want it to or not, dude."

As much as he wished that were true, he wasn't about to admit that to these three. "I'm not there for romance, I'm there for work."

"Then why take her with you?" Leonard asked.

His eyebrows furrowed at the question. Why wouldn't he take Amy?

"Because I don't like to fly alone."

Howard quipped, "You flew to Texas."

"And Montana," Leonard added.

Sheldon shook his head at them tiredly and pointed out, "Both of which are nowhere near the distance as a flight to the Netherlands would be."

Raj looked like he was about to argue when the screen flash back on catching everyone's attention. "Oh, look safe mode if finally up."

"I've got it." Howard said, grabbing the controller.

Leonard was back at his laptop. "Check the resolution and make sure is booting up in 1080P. That seems to be a known issue."

Tapping a few buttons on the controller, Howard sat up proudly. "Yep, it was booting up in the wrong setting but it's good now."

"Awesome, we are back in business." Raj said, grabbing his controller.

Sheldon took his seat in his spot. "Gentlemen, prepare for the butt whipping you are about to receive."

* * *

As they sat waiting for lunch, the girls sipped on their beverages, and made small talk about Penny's new movie. Amy smiled warmly as she cast her eyes around the table. This was the first time she had joined her girl friends for a meal in a few weeks. Since their drunken night together, she had been spending all of her free time with Sheldon, but today was the first time it occurred to her that she really missed her time with her friends.

They all began helping themselves, passing plates and bowls back and forth, chatting, laughing and making 'mmmming' noises as they ate. Reaching for another piece of bread, Bernadette threw in an aside, "Are there any stores you want to stop at Amy?"

Amy picked up her fork and focused on her strawberry blonde friend. "Omm, I may have a couple in mind," she shrugged, nonchalantly.

"Yeah, she does." Penny met Amy's eyes and smiled mischievously.

Bernadette looked curiously between her two friends. "Am I missing something?"

Unable to resist, Penny said, "Oh, someone just mentioned stopping by and getting some sexy new pj's for bedtime."

Bernadette's eyes went wide. "Oooo! Bedtime or sex time?"

Amy blushed. "It's true. Sheldon especially likes the nightgown Penny let me keep. Thanks for that, by the way, bestie. None of my other nightgowns gives Sheldon the quick access to my bosoms that this one does."

Bernadette choked on her water.

Penny held her glass of tea up to her lips, and looked over sympathetically at Bernadette. "You'll learn to wait for it."

Suddenly, Penny's hand hit the table. "Oooo, you know what would be fun?"

Amy could just see Penny's mind racing with thoughts by the excitement in her eyes.

"We should get makeovers while we're out!"

A wide smile spread across Bernadette's face. "Oh, that'd be fun."

Penny grinned at Amy and she realized that she was anxious and eager all at once. "I haven't had one of those since our princess makeovers."

"We can get our hair and makeup done," Bernadette grinned.

"And get sexy outfits to go home in," Penny said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively in Amy's direction.

Bernadette's eyes lit up and she leaned forward in her seat. "We could always text the guys and have them meet us for dinner?"

"Yeeeees, let's do that!" Penny bounced in her seat, patting her hand excitedly on the table.

Smiling, Amy turned in her seat towards the girls who were looking at her expectantly. "I'm in!"


	12. Chapter 12

_Note: You know, I think I'm really starting to spoil you guys with all these daily updates. ;) Actually I just cannot stop writing these two, and it's mostly thanks to all you guys and your fantastic reviews and messages. 3_

_I still don't own them and I still have no beta. All mistakes are sadly mine._

_Having said that, enjoy the Shamy._

* * *

Chapter 12

Penny was grinning like a child on Christmas morning as she stood in the dressing room and surveyed the fruits of her labor. It hadn't been easy, but she had managed, after several dozen dresses, to get Amy in a sexy number that would knock Sheldon Cooper's socks off. She always knew Amy was very attractive, but she took a moment to appreciate how the pretty brunette looked in her black dress.

Bernadette sported a high necked sleeveless dress in rich burgundy. The girls had insisted that the Penny get the strapless dress in blue, and despite the fact that Amy thought they were all being exceptionally silly, everyone had fun.

Amy made her entrance, and the girls whistled as she approached the mirrors. "Not many neurobiologists have legs like that."

Amy blushed and laughed. "Okay, I already said I'd get it. Kissing up to me isn't necessary, too."

"But Sheldon will loooove it on you," Penny batted her eyelashes ridiculously and earned a scornful snort from Amy.

"All right, let's get dressed and get going. It's hair and make-up time."

* * *

Luckily, one last minute quick call to Penny's new stylist from her movie, and she was able to get them all in a salon in downtown Pasadena. Bernadette and Penny sat in the chairs down from Amy. Both getting sleek up-do's, while Amy tentatively flipped thought book of hair styles.

"Okay, honey. What are we doing with this?" A flamboyant Antonio asked, running his fingers though Amy's hair. "Are we cutting it?"

"No!" All the girls cried in unison.

"Okay ladies, just keep your panties on, it was just a question," Antonio said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. Then after a moment, he bunched her hair back into a high pony tail. "So how do you normally do your hair, honey?" He asked, letting her hair fall back down and started to comb through Amy's hair.

"Omm, I straighten it." Amy answered, frowning at him in the reflection.

His eyebrows rose into his purple hairline. "So this is it? Every day?"

Amy nodded.

"Oh you poor, poor, baby," Antonio covered his mouth with his hand dramatically.

Irked, Amy bit her tongue.

Bernadette suggested. "How about some curls, Amy?"

Looking back down at the book in her lap, Amy finally found a page she liked. Gesturing at the girl in the picture she asked, "Can you do that?"

Antonio smiled at the picture. "Oh girl, how I love me some Kate Beckinsale," he answered. Running his hands though her hair once again he responded, "We could totally pull that off, but to get that length we'll have to give you some extensions. Is that okay?"

Amy pursed her lips in thought, and then shrugged. "Sure."

"Oooo, extensions and a hip hugging dress?" Penny beamed at Amy proudly.

Antonio put a drape over Amy, and lifting her hair up get got started. "Okay, Hun... Put your glasses on the table here and we'll go get you washed."

Forty minutes later Amy was seated in the chair, while Antonio did his magic. Her mind drifted to Sheldon and she wondered how his day was going. His reluctance about her departure earlier had been adorably endearing, but maybe she would have to have a talk to him about it later. Perhaps they were spending too much time together?

Suddenly she imagined herself married to Sheldon. She told Bernadette she and Sheldon would be married in four years. Truthfully, she still believed it based on her predictions and calculations, but she was content to enjoy the time they had together now. Later she would let herself imagine them being married, and having his children...

There was a sudden crashing sound beside her. Penny had caught her purse on the side of her chair, and she caught Antonio sending them both crashing into the tray table beside them sending everything flying.

Amy and Bernadette got to their feet. "Oh my, are you guys okay?"

Antonio stood unfazed and helped an embarrassed Penny up off the floor. "I'm so sorry, sweetie."

"No, it's fine. Are you okay?"

Penny waved away his concern but looked around at the mess. "Yeah I'm totally fine. Let me help you pick this stuff up. Gosh, I'm so sorry."

Everyone all started picking up an assortment of clips, comes, and accessories. Squinting without the aid of her glasses Amy asked, "Hey, my glasses were on there has anyone-"

Everything went dead silent as they heard a sickening crunch. Amy froze for a moment, then turned slowly to see her friend Bernadette holding up a pair of broken glasses.

Amy sighed.

Her friend frowned. "You wouldn't by any chance have another pair would you?"

* * *

"I just got a text from Bernie," Howard said, as he typed on his phone. "The girls want to meet us for dinner."

"Why can't they just come back here?"

"Well, I'm not supposed to say but it seems they are getting makeovers."

"Aww," Raj whined, pausing his game. "They went without me?"

"Makeovers?" Sheldon turned in his spot to face Howard. "What in the world for?"

"Bernie said she shouldn't be telling us, but knows how Sheldon can be, and wants to make sure he is not an ass when he sees the number that they did on Amy."

Alarmed, Sheldon sat up to full height and put the controller down. "What did they do to Amy?"

Howard leaned back a little at his intense tone. "It doesn't say. It just says to be nice and tell her she looks pretty."

Sheldon groaned, his face fell into his hands. Nothing about that statement made him feel good. What could they have possibly done to her? Furthermore, why would he be an ass? Glancing back up at Howard, Sheldon wasn't sure he wanted to know anymore. "It's doesn't say anything else?"

"Nope. That's it."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Sheldon. Penny wouldn't do anything to Amy that she didn't want to do. They probably just went crazy with their make-up and all that girl stuff."

"Hmm, I suppose you may be right."

Raj turned toward the others. "Where are we going for dinner?"

"She didn't say, let me find out."

"Well if it's somewhere fancy I'll need time to go home and change," Raj interjected.

"No, no where fancy." Sheldon paused the game again. "You tell those cockamamie females to keep it to the list of acceptable restaurants."

Howard rolled his eyes.

Sheldon pointed an accusing finger at Leonard. "And I'm blaming you if you if Amy is upset."

"Me?" Leonard narrowed his eyes at his roommate. "I didn't even know they were going to do it."

"Maybe not, but today was all you and your girlfriends idea. And just like a responsible parent, her actions are your responsibility."

"Did you ever think maybe it was Amy's idea?"

Sheldon gave Leonard a look of incredulous disbelief. "Really? Do you even want me to point out the problems with that question?"

Leonard slumped back in his chair. "Yeah, okay. It was a stupid question."

* * *

Sheldon was trying to find Amy in the crowded room but a crowd of people moved in front of him, blocking his view. He was forced to continue and wait while surreptitiously trying to catch a glimpse of her over the shoulder's of strangers. In each instance he experienced a small flutter in his chest. It was a strangely pleasant cross between anxiety and anticipation.

Reluctantly he met the Leonard's eyes. "How are we supposed to find them in this mess?"

Well, he thought, best to get this over with. He'd decided his initial reaction to her presence would be very telling. The element of surprise was on his side, and although she was expecting him, she was not aware that he knew about the surprise.

Sheldon slid his eyes away from the Leonard's and looked over his shoulder again. Leonard noticed Sheldon's preoccupation. "Penny just called they couldn't find a place to park. They are on their way in now."

Sheldon stood as close to his friend as he could. All of these people milling around in a crowded entryway. Sheldon was beginning to feel very claustrophobic. "This is ridiculous, Leonard. There are far too many people filling this establishment. We should just go home."

Sheldon attempted to make his escape but Leonard leaned closer to him. "Steady on, look there are the girls now."

"Well, it's about time you all got here." Sheldon turned and looked into the annoyed face of his friend and antagonist Penny.

"Hello to you too." She leant over and gave Leonard a kiss on the cheek.

Sheldon looked around for his girlfriend but only saw Bernadette and Penny. "Where's Amy?"

"She dropped us off at the front." Penny gestured out the front door. "She's still trying to find a place to park."

Sheldon was suddenly very annoyed. "You left her out there alone?"

Penny brushed off his concern. "Sheldon, she's fine."

Shaking his head, he told her, "I'm going to go find her."

Taking a deep breath he moved forward, about to make his presence known to get by, when suddenly the crowd parted and she was standing there in front of him, staring right at him. He stumbled in mid stride. So much for his ambush.

He was struck dumb. He didn't remember her ever looking like this. He always knew she was beautiful, but tonight she was exquisitely so. Her hair was loose and falling in soft waves around her shoulders. Her eyes were bright, and sparkling, and her whole demeanor was of someone confidant and happy. Her glasses were gone, and she was wearing a long black dress that clung to her body deliciously. It was simple, elegant and wickedly sexy.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. In the few seconds that he stood there, he fell head over heels in love with her all over again. It was like being hit by a train. Good Lord, he could barely breathe.

She walked towards him and it was like the world was moving in slow motion. Her hair bounced on her shoulders, her green eyes rested on his warmly, and she beamed a happy smile at him, her body moving with a languid ease towards him. He was mesmerized.

Penny turned to her companions. "She's a hottie, huh?"

Leonard nodded. "You look great, Amy." The other men just nodded in agreement.

She thanked Leonard, but noticing Sheldon's mute reaction her head tilted in concern. "Sheldon?"

His heart was still hammering in his chest. He'd forgotten how she always said his name like a caress. Shaking his head licked his lips.

Sheldon moved again towards Amy and offered his hand which she readily accepted. While giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze, he pulled her into an embrace. Caressing as low as he dared on her back, he held her closer and whispered in her ear, "Amy, you look beautiful."

She hid her face against the side of his neck slightly embarrassed and mumbled, "Thank you."

He and Amy stood there in each other's arms smiling at one another.

She looked around and noticed most of their friends were trying very hard to not look like they were staring at them.

She smiled to herself. "We are being watched."

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "Of that I do not doubt."

Taking her arm he tucked it under his, they joined their circle of friends who were now at the bar. Sheldon turned to Leonard with a puzzled expression. "What are we doing in here?"

Penny sighed, "They don't have a big enough table for us all. It's going to be a bit of a wait."

Howard spoke up as he came in from outside. "Hey, the place next door doesn't have a line. It's not as fancy but at least we'll get to eat tonight. It's Chinese. What do you say, guys?"

Leonard nodded. "Sheldon? Ladies?"

Sheldon looked down at Amy, who was smiling from Howard's suggestion. She loved Chinese food and if was going to keep that smile on her face the rest of the evening, who was he to argue? Sheldon nodded."It's fine by me."

Penny looked at him as if was mad. "No protest?"

"No. No problem."

She was still looking puzzled. "All right, let's go."

They all left the reception room and moved out on to the patio. They took the stairs down to the sidewalk and followed the Chinese lanterns that lit the path.

The night was clear with a cool breeze drifting through the trees. Sheldon felt her shiver.

"Are you cold?"

"A little but it's not that far."

Sheldon nodded but draped his arm over her shoulders pulling her close to him. "Better?"

Amy smiled. "Much, thank you."

He nodded and smiled in return. "My pleasure."

She snuggled into the warmth and took a deep breath. It smelled of him. His distinctive soapy scent surrounded her.

Lowering his voice he asked curiously, "Did you happen to make any other purchases tonight?"

Amy grinned up at him. "I did." Tilting her head up closer to his ear she added, huskily, "And I'm wearing one of them underneath this very dress."

Sheldon swallowed, suddenly hungry for something else entirely.


	13. Chapter 13

_Note: For all of you who have been patiently waiting for the extra "details."_

_This is for you. ;) Enjoy._

* * *

Chapter 13

They made their way to the fourth floor and Sheldon unlocked the door, pausing inside the doorway to say their goodnights and to Penny and Leonard who would be staying in her apartment for the night. Once inside and before she could think too much about it, Amy turned to him. "Do you want some tea, Sheldon?"

She could tell he was a little taken aback and held back a smile. Beverages seemed to be the last thing on either of their minds right now.

He covered his surprise with a smile and an enthusiastic. "That sounds tempting. I actually have something I wanted to discuss with you anyways."

"Okay, what is it?" She moved over to the stove and taking the tea kettle, she moved to the sink filling it with water. "Could you grab a couple of mugs, please?"

Sheldon nodded. Going to the cabinet and pulling out two, he grabbed the tea and sat down. He was suddenly very nervous.

"You're not filling me with confidence here, you know. Is something wrong?" she asked. He was obviously trying very hard to say something. Perhaps he was going to suggest they not spend so much time together? She knew she should have gone home. He was probably feeling smothered and just didn't know how to tell her.

"No, nothing's wrong."

"Then what is it? Is it me? Am I here too much… because if you're feeling like we should take a step back…" She stalled and after a quick look at Sheldon, she turned towards the stove. Damn, she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and tears filling her eyes.

Suddenly, she could feel him behind her. His hands were on her hips and turned her to him, his hand gently tilted her chin up so he could look at her. He spoke without thinking. "How can you even say that?"

At her shrug he continued, "Let's clear up any of your fears right now. Amy, I love you and I always want you here with me."

Sheldon just looked at her and smiled. It was a gentle knowing smile, one reserved only for her.

"Amy?" Her eyes refocused on his face. She'd been staring as her mind churned over his love for her.

She gave him a guilty smile. "Sorry. I was just thinking." He raised his brows in question and Amy shrugged. "About all sorts of things. Us, and the fact that I don't tell you often enough…I love you, too."

Amy put her hands on his chest. She was itching to get him out of his button up blue shirt, but she knew she couldn't. Well, not yet anyway. She pushed him back gently. "All right, now that I'm finished jumping to conclusions, what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"Do remember last week I submitted my paper to a few colleagues from other universities?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"Well, I got an invitation this morning to speak at Delft."

Her heart soared for him and she reached to take his hand, her eyes were bright. "Oh, Sheldon. That's amazing."

He smiled gently. "It is and I wanted to know..." He hesitated, but then here was a heartbeat's silence, then without warning he asked, "Will you go with me?"

A massive wash of love and warmth hit her; it took her breath away."Yes, of course I will!"

"But, you don't even know when it is."

"I don't care." She smiled gently, the tears close to the surface again.

He tentatively took her hand and tugged it gently. "Would you sit for just a moment more? There's something else I wanted to say."

Amy wasn't sure how much more she could take. Although she'd spent weeks pinching herself and the fact that they were this far in their relationship, was astonishing in and of itself. He was still full of surprises.

Amy's whole body tensed as if she was waiting for a body blow but he didn't say anything for a long time. Then he began to look concerned. "Amy, please don't look so worried."

"It's hard not to."

Sheldon shook his head holding back a grin. Taking her hand he led her over to the couch.

Taking their normal seats, they were silent for a long moment, and then Amy turned to him. "Well?"

"I know. I'm working my way towards it."

"It must be really something."

"It is."

Silence filled the room again, and Amy started to feel decidedly uncomfortable. She couldn't wait forever so she prompted, "Sheldon?"

"I want to rearrange my room."

Amy waited for him to say more but when he didn't, she urged again, "Okay… Did you want me to help you? Is that what you wanted tell me?"

He nodded. "Yes, that's part of it." There was another pause and then he added. "I also want to get a bigger bed."

"I don't understand."

"Amy, I'm asking you to come and live with me."

It was Amy's turn to look puzzled but inside her, a small eddy of excitement was building. Did he just...

Amy took a deep breath, not wanting to misinterpret him. "Let me get this straight. You want me to live with you?"

Sheldon nodded, his eyes softening as he smiled; his frown returned however, when Amy asked her next question.

"Why?"

"It's obvious isn't it?"

"You're going to have to enlighten me."

Sheldon huffed and gripping her shoulders, turned her fully towards him. "This is ridiculous! I want you to come and live with me because I want us to be together."

That small eddy was quickly expanding into a tornado but she was well practiced at hiding her emotions and still didn't react; besides she had another question.

"When?"

He let go of her shoulders. "Anytime you'd like. After our trip?"

Amy studied his face for a moment. It was the picture of sincerity and she adored him for it. Nodding slowly, she whispered, "All right. I'll live with you."

His shoulders slumped and he gripped her hands. "Oh thank God. What a relief."

Amy laughed. "That's not quite the reaction I expected."

Sheldon's eyes sparked with delight. "I've had that bottled up inside me all week. It's just so good to get it out."

His thumbs were rubbing back and forth across her knuckles and his touch was soothing in an arousing sort of way. Taking a deep breath, Amy addressed him. "You know, I don't think I want tea anymore."

He licked his lips. "I would not object to going to bed now."

Amy's mouth twisted into a wry smile and leaning forward, she softly kissed him. "I'll meet you in the bedroom in ten minutes."

* * *

"That…" Sheldon cleared his throat. "Is not the same night gown."

"Nooooo, it's not." Amy stood in the doorway with one hand on the doorframe and the other one on her hip. "Disappointed?"

"Ummm… no. No, I wouldn't say that." He had to force himself to blink as he looked at his girlfriend. She wore a deep red, see-through, lace nightgown, and to his utter and complete amazement, a bright yellow emblem of The Flash in the center. It hugged her supple body in all the right places, and left just enough hidden to really stir his imagination to all the others.

"I thought you'd like it. Did you lock the front door?"

"Yes." He swallowed as she bent over to turn down the bed, and the edge of the gown rose just enough to show that she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

"Are you ready for bed? You're not in your pajamas."

"I… a… yes." He was having trouble focusing.

She walked past him again to turn the lights out in the living room and he followed behind her. The room was now bathed in only a hint of light from the city outside. "It's really a shame, you know."

"It is?" He watched her walk to the stand by the couch where she raised her arms to run her fingers through her wavy long hair.

"We have the entire apartment…" She slowly sauntered over and un-buttoned his shirt. "… all to ourselves." She parted the shirt with her hands and grabbed hold of the bottom of his tee-shirt letting her fingers skim around his bare waist. "But the relationship agreement only seems to cover activities in the bedroom."

His lips curved into a smile. "That really is a shame." He traced the thin strap of her gown down to the curve of her breast. "Especially since our proximity to other areas of the room would be more efficient."

Amy's hands moved slowly up and over his shoulders to push his shirt to the floor behind him."We wouldn't want to not be efficient." Her hands came back over his shoulders with her fingernails lightly trailing behind, until they stopped to rest on his chest.

He gasped as her fingers traveled lower. "What were we thinking?" she shook her head slowly.

He hooked his fingers under her nightgown straps and lowered them over her shoulders to trap her arms against her sides. The gown dropped slightly and exposed more of her breasts, now pushed together by the position of her arms. His hands fell to her hips to bring her closer, but she had other ideas and resisted the pull.

"Well…" Her hands dropped back to his waist where they unfastened his slacks and let them fall to the floor. "Before we implement any real changes I believe it's only fair we test this hypothesis." Amy ran her fingertips across his brief covered rear. "For the sake of efficiency."

He took advantage of having her arms behind him and pulled her tight against him. "Agreed, however, any good hypothesis must be tested multiple times." He lowered his lips to catch hers in a deep, sensual kiss. As her hands moved up his back to hold on, his hands dropped to cup her bottom just under the edge of her gown. His hands gently massaged the soft curves and made her shiver.

He pulled her further against him, and she pushed her arms between them to reach up and hold him around the neck. The kiss deepened as he grabbed hold of her thighs and lifted her so that she wrapped her legs around him. He walked slowly over to the couch, lowering them until he was seated with her straddling his lap. He broke the kiss to say, "I love you."

Looking down at him, she ran her fingers through his hair. She kissed his forehead, loving that he'd closed his eyes to enjoy the nearness of their bodies and her touch. Guiding him to relax his head back against the cushions of the sofa, she turned his face up to her.

While she touched his face, he massaged her thighs, stirring up the warmth within her. When she couldn't wait any longer, she cradled his jaw and she lowered her mouth to his.

The resulting kiss was full of passion, each of them knowing that they wouldn't have to hold back, but still taking the time to delve fully into each intimate step on the way to bliss. As he kissed down her neck, Amy could feel her body craving him and moaned in anticipation.

Leaning forward she kissed him but as she did so, then hooked her fingers into the sides of his breifs.

Sheldon very helpfully lifted his bottom off the couch and he sprang free as she pulled down his underwear. He took a deep breath and watched as her gaze dropped to his groin.

She licked her lips.

Sheldon groaned.

At the sound, her eyes darted back up to his and she lowered herself onto his bent knees. His hands slid up her thighs, pushing up and under her gown until he clasped her bare cheeks.

She reached down and wrapped her hand around him and rising slightly, he held his breath and kept his eyes locked on hers until she placed him against her opening. Unable to resist, he pulled her gown up to her waist and watched as she sank down, enveloping him in her welcoming warmth.

She felt amazing but he didn't dare move and gritted his teeth as she began to raise and lower herself in an ever-increasing rhythm. His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her hips, and then reached down between them to caress her into her climax.

With a startled moan, Amy opened her eyes wide and stared at him for before she tipped over the edge, a grimace of ecstasy squeezing her eyes shut again.

He was so roused he knew he would last only moments but wanting the sensations to go on forever. And when Amy leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "Let go, my love," he was lost.

She collapsed into his arms. Sheldon's fingers traced up and down her spine. Moments later, she sat up and taking her face in his hands he kissed her deeply before whispering against her lips. "You're in my spot."

She smiled against his lips, before he pulled her back to him.


	14. Chapter 14

**_Note: …_**

* * *

Chapter 14

Sheldon bit his lip in a silent anxiety looking out the window of the terminal. "Do you have everything?"

"Yes." Amy assured him.

"You have the passports?"

She glanced at Sheldon. "Yes."

"And your ID?"

Sighing, she replied with as much patience as she could muster, "Yes, Sheldon."

"What about..." He looked down at her just in time to see her roll her eyes.

"Sheldon, stop. We went over everything three times. We have everything we need. _Please_ relax."

He was still staring at her.

She blinked up at him. "I'm sorry."

Sheldon was seated beside his girlfriend in the waiting lounge; he regarded her with an expression of concern. "Are you alright?"

Amy rubbed her hand against her forehead tiredly. "Yes, why?"

He tilted his head at her. "Well, for one thing you've been quite short with me all morning."

"I know," she sighed. "I just woke up with a terrible headache and it still hasn't gone away. It's not your fault, I'm sorry."

"I see," he said, now understanding her mood. "Have you taken something for it?"

"Yes." She rubbed her eyes with her hands.

Sheldon was silent for a moment as he watched her. What could he say?"Perhaps it's those contacts?" he suggested.

"You may be right, but until my new glasses get in I'll have to make due." Amy slumped in her chair. "I just want this to be a good trip for you."

He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It already is." His eyes roamed her face slowly, as if he were trying to memorize every freckle. Amy she didn't realize he was so close till his lips were upon hers. It was light butterfly kiss but it held so much.

"Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, his brows furrowed.

She shrugged. "For being you."

"Oh, it looks like their starting to board."

"Oh good."

* * *

They got to their seats quite effortlessly. Sheldon took the aisle seat and Amy the window. They placed their carry-on in the baggage compartment and sat down getting comfortable for a very long flight.

Suddenly, Amy was not feeling very well at all. Glancing at the empty aisle, Amy made a face and stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom room."

Shuffling quickly across Sheldon, Amy made it to the bathroom just in time to heave into the toilet. A couple minutes later, once she was sure she wouldn't throw up anymore, Amy stood up.

She leaned against the cool wall. "All right," Amy said, quietly to herself. "I can do this."

Fortified by these assurances, Amy turned on the water and rinsed her mouth out. She was starting to feel a bit better now. Maybe this was not going to be as bad as she'd thought it would be. The lighting over the sink was a little too bright, and she could see the deep circles under her eyes.

She splashed her face with cool water a few times. There, at least she looked awake. The purple shadows under her eyes were going to be a more difficult fix. Maybe if she took a nap she would feel better? But she loathed telling Sheldon she wasn't feeling well. He would probably insist she sit somewhere else or even stay home, and the latter was a bit too tempting in her current state.

Taking a deep breath, Amy opened the door and started back down to her seat. Sheldon stood as soon as he saw her. He wore an expression of deep concern, but he said nothing as the flight attendant started speaking to the passengers.

Amy, her heart thumping, and her mouth watering like a river; she fastened her seatbelt, and then leaned her forehead onto Sheldon's shoulder. By closing her eyes and taking deep even breaths, she managed to clam her stomach down which was starting to rebel once again.

She could feel the tension in Sheldon's stiff posture. "Amy?" he questioned, his worry conveyed in his tone.

"I'm fine. I just need to close my eyes."

She could feel his hand take hers and she held onto it. She felt the plane move away from the gate and then later the lift as it ascended into the air. She continued to keep her eyes closed and before she knew it her eyes grew heavy and she drifted off.

And then she was surrounded by gun fire? Spock, Kirk, she heard their names, someone was fighting, and then someone screamed.

Amy opened her eyes.

She was lying on Sheldon's shoulder. It was a movie, not an actual fight. Sheldon held his iPhone and it was the sound from his ear buds that she heard. Her head hurt. Really hurt, in a way it hadn't hurt since the morning after she had consumed three whole of a bottles of wine on girls night five weeks ago.

Wincing painfully against the harsh white glare of the light outside her window and the vast expanse of the equally lit plane, she brought a hand up to cover her eyes.

Her rush to close the window was halted, however, as a hand that clamped down over her wrist pulling it back down. She felt Sheldon move beside her and closed the window shade for her.

Dragging her hand away from her eyes, Amy found herself looking into the eyes of the owner of that hand.

"How are you feeling?" he wanted to know. His voice—that deep, even voice, tinged with concern, sounded oddly muffled to her.

Amy gestured lamely at her head. "It's just a headache."

"Okay," Sheldon said. "Would you like some water?" And then he let go of her wrist and handed her a water bottle.

Released from his supportive grip, Amy sank back into her seat. Whoa. She probably should not have sat up so fast.

Sheldon looked down at her, as she took a grateful sip of water. The coolness soothed her and she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Sheldon. What a way to ruin your trip."

"Amy, there is nothing to be sorry for. It's not like you asked for it." Sheldon reached beside him and unfolded a small blanket. He draped it over her. "Perhaps you just need rest, you still look tired."

Amy nodded. "I think that will help a lot." She looked down at the phone in his hand she asked, "Can I watch that with you?"

Sheldon smiled, handing her one of his ear buds, he turned the volume down as she settled against him. Hopefully, she would feel better once they landed.

* * *

It was an enormous hotel nestled within a quick walk to the university but far enough away from all the foot traffic.

Their 'suite' was something of an understatement. A lavish apartment would have been a more accurate description. Walking through to the living area, they found it again excessively decorated with a large couch, matching armchairs set in front of a large fireplace. Soft rugs were scattered on the floor, a small dining table was set over by the large windows that looked out over a lush and flower filled courtyard. Two large sliding doors had been pushed aside to reveal the large bedroom, and a bed that was equally enormous.

Amy was able to spot three restaurants from the window in their room, along with several souvenir shops—and the plethora of tiny cafes. Her headache was gone after a long nap on the plane and Amy itched to get out and walk around. There was only one problem.

It was close to one in the morning in Delft and her boyfriend was all ready sound asleep. Sheldon's concern for Amy during their flight kept him on high alert for the entire duration, so once he knew she was feeling better, he fell asleep almost the moment his head touch the pillow. Deciding she would steal a few precious moments for herself, she made her way across the bedroom, where she took a long nightgown from the dresser; she moved over to another door and pulled it open. It was the bathroom of her dreams, and _the_ most extraordinary one she'd ever seen.

As she waited for the tub to fill, she sent Penny a quick text to let her know they made it safely. Grabbing an oversized towel she dropped it beside the tub, and sank into its warm depths. The tub was without a doubt, one of the most glorious she could remember being couldn't remember ever getting so sick from a headache before. It must have been all of the excitement and stress from packing and preparing, which helped fuel its intensity. But she was feeling much better now, and was determined not to think about that anymore. Emerging from the bathroom, delightfully scalded from her scalp to the soles of her feet, she put on her nightgown and crawled into bed beside Sheldon.

His chest was rising and falling in the slow steady inhale and exhale of deep sleep. Amy snuggled into his side as gently as she could to keep from waking him, however, he must have sensed her as his arm tucked securely around her waist and his leg was draped over hers, keeping her close.

She snuggled back against him, with the warmth of her bath and comfort of her boyfriend, exhaustion finally hit her and she was able to once again drift off to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

_Author's Note. I'm sorry about the cliff-hanger. Lordy, I do know now how y'all feel about Shamy babies. ;) Everyone take a breath, it'll be alright, I promise. Just remember, there is a method to my madness. Grab a cuppa and enjoy._

* * *

Chapter 15

"Amy."

She was having such a wonderful dream. Yet the loud and annoyingly demanding voice was making it blurry and fade away. She didn't want it to end.

"Amy."

She breathed in. The voice was back and more insistent.

"Noooooo, go away."

"Amy Farrah Fowler, I need you to focus for thirty seconds before I leave."

"Do you have coffee?" She mumbled, from under the covers. Sheldon pulled the blankets back from her face. She turned over onto her back, blinking her bleary eyes. In front of her he held a big paper cup, oddly reminiscent of a Starbucks cup. "Oh, Sheldon..." She sat up and took it from him gratefully. Holding it up to her nose and she inhaled. It smelled just like her hazelnut latte from home. "You are going to get _so_ lucky tonight."

He shook his head at her morning antics, but smiled. "I'm off to the university for the day. I should be back around four, then we can go to dinner and all the other activities you'll feel the need to drag me to."

She rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's six forty-seven."

"Do you want me to walk over with you?"

"No, it's not necessary. It's very close."

"Okay." She said taking a sip of her coffee then pursed her lips for a kiss. Much like she had three years ago when she told him she was available for experimentation. He shook his head in amusement.

He leaned in and then paused, hovering a few inches away from her. "Are you still feeling ill?"

Opening her eyes, she said, "I feel fine."

"Are you sure?"

She laughed and leaned closer to him. "Yes, now give me a kiss and get going Dr. Cooper. You have a lot of people to impress today." She winked.

He grinned and closed the distance between them and placed a soft kiss to her lips. "I'll see you later."

Leaning back in bed, she raised her coffee in the air. "Knock them dead."

* * *

Amy sat outside of the small cafe, sipping her tea and enjoying the warm breeze that blew through town. Taking a bite of her scone, she checked of a few items on the to-do list on her phone. She and Sheldon agreed any frivolous shopping could be done while he was working, as he had no desire to comb the streets in search of souvenirs for their friends or family.

Amy readily agreed to the task.

Deciding to check her emails for any messages from work she pulled out Sheldon's iPad and connected to the café wifi. There were several messages that Amy opened and read. There was one rather stern one from her mother and another from her sister informing her how long it's been since she last communicated with them. One sent from her doctor's office with a reminder that her yearly physical was due. She made a face and took another bite of her scone.

There was a brief message from Howard with a Neil Diamond joke attached, which made her smile, a rather official greeting from her department head and a less officious one from a colleague with an invitation to attend a lecture back in California next month for fun. She sent replies to some and deleted most then decided she would call Penny and see how her filming went yesterday. Checking her phone, it was eleven in Delft. With the nine hour time difference, she knew her bestie would still be up.

Dialing her number she waited while it connected. After a few rings, Penny's voice filled her ears.

"Ames, hey!"

Amy smiled. Her friend's enthusiasm for everything never failed to make her smile. "Hey, bestie. How did your filming go yesterday?"

Penny animatedly began to fill her in on the going's on behind the taping, all the while while wearing an ape costume and wrestling with one semi-famous Wil Weaton. Amy smiled as her best friend recounted having to do an "action" scene which included climbing a tree.

Once she was finish with her story, Penny inquired, "So, what's up with you? How's the Netherlands?"

Amy put her hand up to shade her eye from the sun coming up over the building across the street. "It's great. Sheldon left this morning, and he will probably be gone for most of the day. But that's given me time to explore around the hotel. I have been able to procure a few souvenirs for almost everyone."

"Ooo, what did you get me?"

"Actually, you're one of the ones I still need to find something for, but don't worry. I found a great clothing store down the street."

"Oh awesome." She then added, "Just no cardigans."

"Oh, ha ha… very funny."Amy rolled her eyes at the jibe.

"Awe, you know I love you."

"Oh, I know."

"So how are you feeling?"

Amy frowned. "How did you know I wasn't feeling well?"

"Sheldon sent Leonard a text."

"Ahhh, and they say women talk too much. Well I'm fine. It was just a mild migraine. I think was just brought on by everything that's been going on and I received an email from my mother that was a little disconcerting the night previous," she shrugged. "But I'm fine now."

"Your mother?' Her friend paused. "Is something wrong?"

"No, she is just dramatic. It is a long story, and one I'll tell you about it with a bottle of wine when we get home."

"Okay, fair enough. Oh hang on I'm getting a message."

Amy took the break in speaking and changed chairs at her table to keep the sun from her eyes. She would have to get a pair of sunglasses while she was out. Her headache might be gone, but she did not want a repeat from yesterday.

A sudden shriek from her friend sounded on the line. "Oh my God!"

Amy snapped her head away holding the phone away from her ear. Tentatively placing it back on her ear she replied, "What's wrong?"

"Oh my God."

Amy sat up alarmed. "Penny?"

"Just a sec, Amy. Shit!"

"Is something wrong?" Amy, said sounding panicked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the people at the surrounding tables turn towards her with startled expressions. She ignored them as Penny continued to garble out expletives.

"Bernadette is on her way over. Damn," Penny groaned. "I wish you were here!"

"Why?" Amy was growing frustrated. Taking a deep breath she spoke slower and with thorough distinction, "What. Is. Happening? Did she and Howard get into a fight?"

"Nooooo, Howard's gone over to his mothers to share their news." Penny lowered her voice.

Amy almost shouted, "What news?"

"She's pregnant."

"Shit." Amy looked sharply at the gawping women at the next table and they quickly averted their eyes, then she leaned forward and spoke quietly. "I thought they were going to wait?"

"I don't think it was on purpose."

"Oh shit."

"Yeah. She's on her way over now."

Amy groaned. "Aww, I miss everything."

Penny snorted. "Don't feel so bad. I have a feeling this is only going to involve a lot of tears."

"You really think so?" Amy chewed on her lip.

Penny sighed into the phone. "Probably, I mean, Bernadette has been really focused on her career and pretty adamant that kids were off the table for right now. I have a feeling Howard's about to become Mr. Mom."

Amy couldn't help but agreed.

"That'd be like you or I having a baby right now."

Amy pursed her lips. "But she and Howard are married."

"Doesn't make them more ready for a kid."

"Touché, bestie." Amy shook her head. "Well, just pat her back and tell her everything will be all right."

Penny laughed. "I'm not so sure about that."

Amy really wished she was there. "That doesn't matter. It's going to be an adjustment for her, but tell her she is strong and she will be the most wonderful mother there ever was."

Penny cooed. "Aww, Ames."

"And if that doesn't work tell her she has an overbearing mother-in-law that she can pawn the child off on."

Penny laughed once again. "What would I do without you?"

"Sometimes I wonder that myself. Okay, I better go before this conversation cleans out my credit card. Remember, she can do this and she'll be the best mother ever."

"I got it."

Amy nodded. "Good."

* * *

Amy sat overlooking the city from the table in their hotel room as she mapped out the night ahead. Sheldon was due back anytime and she was excited to show him the things she found while she was out shopping, which included a hand carved model train.

Pulling out the map of the city walks guide, she studied the many paths that took them for a scenic tour around the city. So engrossed was she, that she didn't hear the door open.

"Hello."

Amy jumped at the sound of her boyfriend's voice. He was already by her side and looking down at her.

"Hello," was all she was able to say before his lips met hers. It was a long lingering kiss that made her grateful she was sitting. Pulling back he smiled down at her.

"What was that for?"

He shrugged. "Do I need a reason?"

Amy shook her head slowly still quite affected by his kiss. "No, never."

"How was your day?" he asked, walking over to the full sized refrigerator to pull out a bottled water.

"It was great, but first how was your day?" Amy got up and walked over to him. "How did the meetings go?"

"It was great… Amazing, really. Everyone is very anxious to follow the research I'm going to be doing. I've had many discussions today and the initial reception to the theory looks very promising."

"That's wonderful, Sheldon." She stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm very proud of you."

He returned her hug. "I even got you into the lecture tomorrow."

Pulling back she grinned up at him. "Like they'd be able to stop me."

He grinned, and then noticed the shopping bags that littered the floor beside the dining table. "Ahhh, I see you got all of that frilly-nilly shopping out of your system?"

"I did." She nodded. Giving him a secret smile she said, "And there might even be something for you."

His eyes widened with a curious interest. "Really?"

"Mmm hmm."

Looking down at the bag's by his feet he looked inquisitively inside them. "Which one?"

"Yours is actually on the bed."

His head shot up, his eye's flew in the direction of the bedroom and he was off in a run. Amy followed behind laughing silently to herself.

"Oh wow!"

He found it. Amy stopped and leaned on the bedroom door frame. "Do you like it?"

"It's exquisite." He said, entranced as he studied the intricate detail of the train. "Where did you find it?"

"Actually, there is a model shop down the street from here."

His eye's snapped up to meet hers.

She clasped her hands behind her back. Looking innocently coy, she walked slowly toward him. "If you're interested there is a city walk that takes you past the famous Delftware, the royal family and the painter Johannes Vermeer… and also goes by the model shop." She shrugged her shoulders. "If you want, we could go. Maybe even have dinner while we're out."

He placed the train very gently on the bed and closed the distance between them. "I believe your earlier statement from this morning was incorrect."

Her brows furrowed not following him.

"You, little lady, are the one that will get _very_ lucky tonight."

He sighed and then trembled slightly as her hands trailed over his body. Looking up into his eyes, she asked, "Why wait?"

He couldn't bear it any longer and pulling her close, his lips met hers.

Warm and soft, her lips pressed firmly back against his and it was close to perfect.


	16. Chapter 16

**_Note: It's a short one, I apologize in advance but I couldn't leave you with nothing._**

**_Enjoy. :)_**

* * *

Chapter 16

It was a short walk from the model store to the restaurant located by their hotel. After lingering over dessert, they walked hand-in-hand, on the way out. When they reached the door into the restaurant, a charming gentleman stepped out to open it for them. Sheldon put his hand on the small of her back and let Amy walk ahead of him. Before they were able to get away, a man came around the corner with a bucket fully of fresh long stemmed roses.

"A rose for the beautiful lady?" he asked.

Sheldon was not a fan of obnoxious street peddlers but the look on Amy's face was what made him reach for his wallet.

She casually twisted the stem of one large rose between her thumb and fingers, every so often holding it against her lips to enjoy the softness of the petals and Sheldon's distracted eyes as he watched her.

Amy glanced sideways at Sheldon. "Did you enjoy your meal?"

He shrugged. "Meh, it was alright. I wouldn't rule it out as a regular option if we lived here."

"Indeed."

When they arrived at a secluded spot under a large tree, she stopped to lean against a fence and looked out over the water. "It's beautiful here at night."

"Is it not during the day?" He stood beside her, his eyes following her line of sight but couldn't see what she found so fascinating.

"Yes, it is too I suppose," she laughed. "I spoke to Penny today, and I found out something interesting or quite possibly troubling depending on your perspective."

"Oh, color me intrigued."

"Bernadette and Howard are going to have a baby."

Sheldon's brows rose up. In fact, he didn't say anything in reply.

Finally, she said, "Sheldon?"

"Hmm?"

She turned to face him, "What do you think about that?"

He shrugged. "It was bound to happen to one of the couples in our social group sometime. Although, my money would have been on Penny and Leonard."

Her head snapped up. "You've thought about that?"

"Yes, and what really got me thinking about it was when my nephew was born. With the exception of Rajesh, we are all steady couples with an already established end game. It's only logical procreation would take place sooner or later."

Amy was floored. "End game?"

"Ahh, I'm sorry I misspoke. While you're thinking of the word's literal definition, which is the final stages of a game -such as chess, I'm referring to the urban slang which pertains to a couple you ship on a television show that you hope ends a series together."

She asked quietly, "And you think we are end game?"

"I do. Don't you?"

"Has this soft romantic side of you been hiding underneath this Flash shirt all this time?" she asked, poking him in the chest playfully.

"I don't know about romantic, I just find it easier to just be honest. I no longer hold anything back from you."

"You held back before?" She looked up at him intrigued.

"I had to," he said. "Before getting close to someone meant opening myself up to the possibility of disappointment, ridicule, and judgment. I worry about none of that with you. Opening myself up to you physically was only a small step, compared to this."

Taking a few steps toward him she wrapped her arms around him, nestled against him.

He returned her embrace. "It also helped that you're a determined seductive vixen."

She chuckled and squeezed him gently. "So it looks like there will be a baby around." Sighing heavily, she enjoyed the warmth of his body against hers. She had yearned for this so many times that she couldn't even begin to count them all.

"The only constant is change."

"Sheldon," She looked up at him and smiled again, then drifted away slightly, putting a little distance between them. "Do you ever picture us with children?"

"I do."

"You do?" she smiled.

His head tilted to study her. "I'm curious why that surprise's you? Do you not remember our conversation about our future prodigy when we first met?"

"Actually, I do." She smiled devilishly. "It was some of the most audacious text messages I've ever sent to a boy."

He returned the smile at the memory. "Agreed. You know if it weren't for Penny's meddling, we could have had them by now."

She raised her head. "Them?"

He sighed, exasperated. "You know, for someone who claims to recall our prodigy conversation, you are really slow on the specifics."

"Well..." She hesitated before saying, "If _you_ recall when we discussed having the _two_ children, we made this determination based on the parameters that they would be conceived in a lab and their gestation would be carried out by a surrogate."

He was quiet a moment before replying, "I hadn't thought of that."

"I think we should open the topic back up for discussion. Do you agree?" she asked, suddenly anxious.

"Well the timing of this isn't the best, considering our location and the fact that it's getting really dark outside, but alright, let's discuss it."

"Okay, well given the newly established relationship status, and the fact that I do not see it changing, I see no use for a lab or a surrogate."

"Agreed."

"Also, as women get older the higher her risk for certain genetic defects becomes greater, so...Are you sure you want to talk about this?"

"Are you uncomfortable talking about this?" He did a double-take.

"No, not at all," she took a step toward him. "It's just I don't want you to be uncomfortable or feel pressured by stereotypical social standards."

"Are you speaking to archaic paradigm of marriage?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to get married?"

Her smile faded and her brow knitted. "Excuse me?"

"Married." He spoke louder, thinking she hadn't heard him. "Is that what you wish?"

"Is this you proposing to me?' It seemed, to her, that his timing wasn't quite right, although she wouldn't want to turn him down.

"Do you _want_ me to propose to you?"

"Sheldon!"

He was confused. "Amy?"

She huffed, glaring at him. "Be serious."

He raised his eyebrows and gave her a knowing look. "I am."

"What are you saying?" she encouraged.

"Is marriage something you want?"

She looked away, trying to reign in her slight embarrassment for letting her thoughts get ahead of her. He wasn't proposing as much as asking her for opinion on the institution. "Is it something you want?"

"Nooo, I asked you first. And I don't want the answer Amy thinks Sheldon wants to hear. I want Amy's answer."

Refocusing, she caught him looking at her. "Are you sure?"

"Very."

"Then, my answer is yes; eventually I would like to get married."She looked away and added, "When we're ready."

"Define ready."

"You'll just know," she explained. "I think it's different for everyone, but for me it's when you know you would rather not live without the other and when you're ready to commit yourself to one another fully forever."

"And if you already know that?"

"Do you?" she asked, her anxiety returning with full force.

"Yes, that's why I asked that you to move in with me. I can't imagine a day without you."

Trying desperately to control her emotions, she nodded, unable to speak. They stared at each other for a long moment as understanding passed silently between them.

"Amy, you'll have to forgive me for the cliché but..." he dropped down on his knee, taking her hand in his he asked, and without missing a beat, he asked, "Amy Farrah Fowler, will you marry me?"

"Yes."


	17. Chapter 17

_**Author's Note. I'm sorry for the short chapters, but they are better than nothing, right? Look forward to longer ones after this. ;)**_

* * *

Chapter 17

Amy was running her hands over Sheldon's chest, so happy to be here with him on his trip and now engaged! She still couldn't believe it. They were going to get married. She reached up and caressed his face.

"Have I told you how brilliant you are lately?" Amy was still feeling a little emotional after his proposal.

"No more than usual." He nuzzled her hair, breathing in her scent.

They would be going home tomorrow night and as much as she wanted to tell everyone the moment they walked through the door, she held back. Bernadette and Howard's life was about to change in an exciting and profound way and Amy did not want to take any attention away from that.

"Sheldon, I don't think we should tell everyone about our engagement." He raised his eyebrows and she clarified, "At least, not right away anyways."

He rolled on his side, propped on his elbow and looked down at the woman that had owned his heart since the moment he met her. "Oh?"

Amy rolled over to face him."I think it may seem that we are trying to take some of the concentration from Bernadette and Howard to ourselves. This is a big step in their life and I don't want it to overshadow them. "

He blinked at her. "But if it something they are not excited about..."

"Bernadette isn't excited, yet; However, I'm almost certain that is probably not the case for Howard."

"Hmm, I see your point." He pulled her to him and held her close. "However, I would have thought the prospect of gabbing to Penny would have trumped all friendship loyalties."

She never could get anything past him. He knew her too well. "I admit, that texting Penny did cross my mind a time or six tonight," Sheldon shook his head. "It will be hard to keep to myself, but at the same time I like the idea of it being our secret for now. Let's let them have some time to get used to the idea and then later we'll tell everyone."

Sheldon nodded. "Alright."

Her hand was warm on his cheek and she whispered."I have to admit, I'm enjoying having you all to myself."

Taking a deep breath, he turned and, taking her hand from his cheek, he kissed her palm before he let it go. "Now that I think about it, the feeling is quite mutual."

Her hand came up and rested gently on his head and he closed his eyes. She stroked his hair and then said, "We don't need to be up early, do we?"

"No, not early." Sheldon rolled on to his back, taking her with him. She lay on his chest with her chin resting on her hands. He opened his eyes to meet her blissful gaze. He smiled broadly. She reached forward caressing his brow with her finger. She looked thoughtful as her finger then traced his lips. He watched her and as he kissed her fingertip she looked up into his eyes. "I love you and I don't think I'm ever going to tire of saying that for the rest of my life."

He smiled lovingly at her.

* * *

It never ceased to amaze Sheldon how often the smallest and most seemingly insignificant of occurrences in one's life are the ones that bring about the greatest transformations. A dirty sock. A date with Stewart. A game of Dungeons and Dragons. A shuttle launch. A kiss on a train. A drunken girl's night. As insignificant as these moments may seem, they often hold the power to move and stir, to reveal the consequences of actions which never would have been previously considered.

In a world where he could unravel the mysteries of the universe, it humbled him to be conquered by something as small and remarkable as the woman beside him. One woman walked into a coffee shop, shattered his resolve, and changed his life forever.

With Amy lying beside him, he was still not wholly convinced that this was real and feared that if he closed his eyes he'll awaken to find it would only a dream – one he's had many times over the years, but never imagined that it would come to fruition. He would awaken and he would be back alone in his bed and back to holding her at arm's length. The slow, steady rise and fall of her chest, the warmth of her body against his, was all the proof that he needed that this was indeed real.

He marveled at her, his heart beating a little faster as he contemplate the woman lying in bed next to him. Her usually neat, well-groomed hair was tangled and tossed carelessly across the pillow and her back. Her nakedness, she's stunningly small and almost delicate in appearance. Reassured by the feeling of sweet pressure in his chest, he was still in awe at the need to protect her rose up in him and the feeling swelled again as he watched her slumber. Though, far from fooled, he knew she had more strength in her than he could ever himself possess.

Amy is bold, courageous and fearless, and again he was humbled when he thought that he could have missed out on all of this. She would always remain his friend, confidante and comrade, and now she would soon be his wife.

She was deeply asleep and he slipped from the bed quietly, pulling on his flannel pajama pants to head to the kitchen for a glass of water. The sun was rising over the city and shimmering off the tops of the buildings, the sky awash in the same purples, pinks and oranges that colors the skies of Pasadena. He left the window and returned to her side, sliding into bed Sheldon rolled towards the woman sleeping by his side. He smiled and breathed deeply before gently drawing the sheet up over her naked shoulders. She snuffled quietly, tugged the sheet closer around her and burrowed into her pillow.

He silently studied her sleeping face and relived the previous night's delight. She'd been voracious. What had begun as a quiet and gentle exploration of one another's bodies had become a hungry and athletic race for fulfillment.

She tossed and mumbled, rolling onto her side and reaching for him. Even in sleep, she sought for the connection, as he does now. Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her gently. Her arm drapes over his chest and she settles back into sleep, tucked closely against his side. He drew back a little and stared at her, Sheldon tucked her hair behind her ear, letting the back of his fingers drift down her back. He breathed deeply, surrounded by her subtle scent and gently slipped his arm around her, holding her close and safe. Amy roused for a moment to kiss him and then drifted back into sleep, mumbling against his chest. "Love you."

Closing his eyes, he kissed her head and whispered quietly, "I know." Burying his face in her hair, he held her close and joined her in slumber.


	18. Chapter 18

**_Author's Note: Sorry for the delay but better late than never, eh?_**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 18

Amy sat slumped at the kitchen island. She'd stayed up much later than she'd intended last night and was suffering for it today, although she couldn't deny that she'd had a quite memorable bonding experience. It had been three weeks since she'd spent girl's night with her friends and had thoroughly emotionally exhausted herself. The only difference was that this time the alcohol was substituted for tears. But by then end of the night, Bernadette was much more confidant and even smiled a bit at the thought of becoming a mother. Amy made a mental note to make sure that she check in with Bernadette more often and make a point of offering to help her in any way she could. Bernadette had a new focus in life, and she looked forward to helping her with this new challenge.

Sheldon appeared from behind her. Rubbing her back he said. "Good morning."

"Morning." She sat up a little straighter in her seat. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very well, thank you. I'm a little more awake than others, I see."

Amy rolled her eyes. "I'm not used to the lack of sleep, it seems. The emotional upheaval from Bernadette required a substantial amount of consoling. Adding to the jet lag, I feel like I haven't slept in days."

"Well that's something that's easily remedied. I will just take you to bed early tonight."

He raised his eyebrows and smiled that smile.

"Mmm, that sounds very tempting." She felt the longing right down to her toes, and taking a deep breath gave him a quick smile in return and then stood. "Well, I'm going to need more coffee to make it though the day. I've got a lot of work to do before our 'early bedtime.'" She got up refilled her cup, gave him a quick kiss, and trotted up the step and through the doors of his room before he could answer.

She'd felt his eyes on her retreating back and took a steadying breath as she closed the door behind her. Amy's late night made her miss out on time with Sheldon last night and yearnings that Amy thought she'd put aside in return for some for adequate sleep were put aside. Apparently they weren't too far aside this morning.

* * *

She sat at her desk staring at the pile of notes in front of her. Sheldon's words echoed from two nights before. _'__Amy Farrah Fowler, will you marry me?' _She grinned. She was so happy. They had agreed not to share the news but Amy was finding it very difficult to keep to herself. The way she showed her emotions were very telling where Sheldon was concerned and she struggled with it. Avoiding the issue of their relationship and focusing on her friends lives had become her way of dealing with it, but it wasn't a terribly satisfactory remedy. It was also unusual for her not to immediately talk to her best friend.

And then there was the issue of her family. She sent her mother and sister emails on their relationship status and informing them as soon as Sheldon and her worked out some dates, she'd inform them promptly. She'd purposely kept her family as far from her personal life as possible. Which was relatively easy as they now resided on the east coast. Her father's side of the family was big, loud, and completely overbearing. She'd always been one to tackle a dilemma straight on, but it was complicated with her family and she had a distinct feeling that once that door was opened it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to close. Her relationship had kept her sane over the years and the fact that she was able to keep her family out of it for so long was nothing less than remarkable. They were complex. No, she amended. Her family was insane. She loved them, but where they were concerned everything was always so complicated and dramatic.

They never understood her. Her mother did to a point. However, it was her step-mother and sister who would always give her no end of grief. Religion and her views on it were not the accepted norm in her home growing up. There had been exceptions over the years, but they were few and far between. Perhaps if she was braver, emotionally braver, then she would have introduced Sheldon to her this particular side of her family years ago, but as things stood, just the thought of them driving him away and losing him with her heart totally invested, sent waves of fear rolling through her. It was better for her to keep them at a distance and stay away from that particular rabbit hole.

The voice of reason spoke loudly, and there was this persistent and irritating chatter coming from behind that she was finding very difficult to ignore. She was getting married and would now have to tell him. The chatter was getting louder and louder. She shook herself and moved from her desk to the cabinets. Pulling out her voice recorder, she tamped down her dread and got back to the matters at hand. She took a seat behind her desk again and picked up her notes on the pile and began her work.

There were only a few notes left when there was a knock on her door and Sheldon walked into the room. Amy looked up. "Hi."

"Its 12:30 and I thought you might join me for lunch before you get too far into your work."

Amy nodded. She'd been unaware of the time. "Why not? It seems like I'm not going to get much done today anyways."

"Is your exhaustion bothering you?"

"That's a part of it."

Taking her coat Sheldon and Amy left her lab. They chatted quietly on the way to lunch, until Amy became lost in her thoughts.

"Amy, have you been listening to a word I've said?"

She looked up guiltily. "I'm sorry what were you saying?"

"It looks like I'm going to have to hold out on you tonight and make you really get some sleep." Sheldon's eyes twinkled as he teased.

"I'd like to see that happen." Amy turned and looked at him with an amused smile.

"You never know. I could surprise you." He smiled warmly.

She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. Stopping in his tracks he touched her arm to slow her. "Is something wrong?"

Amy sighed stopping to face him. "I'm sorry, Sheldon. There's something I need to talk to you about, but it's a long story and I'd rather wait to tell you about it once we get home." She amended, "In private."

He looked at her gently. "Can you tell me what it's in regards to?"

Her gaze locked with his and they stared at one another for a long moment. Amy could feel herself being drawn in by his warmth and she jolted back when her phone buzzed. Looking down she groaned internally. Speak of the devil.

Amy silenced her phone and stuffed it in her purse. "It's my family. Well, my father's side… my step-mother to be precise."

She sounded flustered and Sheldon noticed. "What about them?"

Amy looked away. "Can we talk about it tonight?"

"We can, but if it's bothering you this much maybe we should just go to my office so you can get this out?"

Amy shook her head. "I'll be fine."

He stared at her a moment weighing whether or not to push the issue. The look in her eyes told him to let it drop. "Alright, tonight then."

* * *

An hour later, when Amy was back at her lab beginning to go over some samples her phone vibrated again. Amy looked down. Damn, they were persistent. Figuring she might as well get this out of the way, she answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"It's about time, Amy!" Amy held the phone away from her ear. "How in the hell do you think you can just send an email saying you're engaged and think that's going to suffice? Do you have any idea how bad mom is freaking out right now?"

"You mean _your_ mom?" Amy stated irked by her sisters tone. "Besides I've got a lot going on. I don't have time for a three hour argument on why she will not be involved in planning my wedding and why it will not be based around anyone's faith. Namely hers."

"Hmm. Whatever you say, but you're going to have to talk to mom sooner or later."

"She's not my mother." Amy ground out and began chanting to herself. _'You can do this. Deep breaths, Amy.' _She loosened her hold on the phone and tried to relax.

She heard a heavy sigh on the other end. "You two need to get over your issues, Amy. She's raised you since you were five."

Amy replied back. "Chandra, that doesn't make up for all the years she's let me down. She never fails to embarrass me every opportunity she gets. I will never be good enough for her, so why even try?"

Chandra lowered her voice to Amy's level and said. "Neither of us is good enough, but you know mom... She just wants the best for us."

Amy shook her head and did a quick internal eye roll. "We'll agree to disagree. Look I have a lot of work to do..."

Everything was starting to hurt too much. She got her emotions under control just as her sister cut in. "You're right, I'm sorry, I thought I'd just call and congratulate you. I'm really happy for you, you know."

Amy blinked back tears. "Thank you, Chandra."

"So, is it safe to assume you've finally been laid, then?"

Amy rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. "I am not getting into that over the phone with you."

Chandra snorted. "You have! Oy vey, my dear big sister, we are going to have to get together soon and talk all about it."

Amy choked back a laugh. "Chandra, you are eighteen. I am not having that conversation with you period."

"You're no fun, sis. At least tell me if it's as bad as you thought it would be?"

"I'm hanging up now, Chandra."

She heard laughter as she hit the end button.

* * *

Amy made it through the day without further incident. She picked up Sheldon and managed to make it back to her apartment without him questioning her.

While she started dinner, Sheldon took some time to do some work. After about a half an hour Sheldon shut his laptop and came into the kitchen. Resting against the kitchen counter while watching her cook, Sheldon turned to Amy. "So, are you ready to discuss what has been bothering you?"

Amy looked sideways at her fiancée and took a deep breath. "I am." She put the lid on the pot of pasta sauce and turned to him. "I'm afraid I haven't been completely open with you about my family." Her eyes became distant. "While my mother and her side of the family do reside in Glendale, my father remarried when was very young, you know this. But what I didn't tell you was that I spent a great deal of my youth between homes and I was raised mostly by my step-mother." She turned and looked at Sheldon. "The reason I haven't told you about it was because her and I are no longer on speaking terms but with the engagement I knew I would not be able to hide her forever."

Sheldon's brows furrowed and he looked at her with a deep curiosity. "Why have you not spoken of this sooner?"

Amy was on the verge of tears. "Because you're very special to me, and if you ever met her I didn't want to take a risk that she might drive you away. I've always been a disappointment to her and I couldn't allow her to judge you, too and especially our relationship."

Sheldon took her by the shoulders forcing her to meet his gaze. "I'm very sorry you felt you had to do that for me, but Amy nothing could ever drive me away from you." Sheldon offered Amy a hug, which she gratefully accepted.

"You might want to retract that statement once you've meet her." Amy mumbled in his clothes to hide her discomfort. "She's also very, omm… religious."

Sheldon huffed a laugh as Amy stepped away. He held her arm gently to stop her rushing off. "Amy, you've met my mother, there is nothing you're step-mother can ever say or do that will make me uncomfortable."

Amy shook her head. "That's another thing we need to talk about. While it does not directly affect you or me it might become an issue when our families meet." Sheldon waited and Amy blew out a breath. "My family is Jewish."


	19. Chapter 19

_**Author's Note: This is getting a bit emotional but it can't always be butterflies and rainbows. And just to put you in my head a bit with where I'm at, I imagine Amy's step-mom as Bette Midler. ;) Anyways, I still love the reviews; keep 'em coming.**_

* * *

_Sheldon huffed a laugh as Amy stepped away. He held her arm gently to stop her rushing off. __"__Amy, you've met my mother, there is nothing you're step-mother can ever say or do that will make me uncomfortable."_

_Amy shook her head. __"__That's another thing we need to talk about. While it does not directly affect you or me it might become an issue when our families meet." Sheldon__ waited and Amy blew out a breath. "My family is Jewish."_

Chapter 19

"Huh, well that should make things interesting."

"Really, that's all you have to say?" Amy grabbed the butter from the fridge and placed it on the table.

Sheldon took the bread she'd prepared and helped her set the table."I don't know what else I could say? Neither one of us buy into the common practice of organized religion, so why would your families religious orientation be a factor?"

"It's just regardless of the way I feel about them I'm going to assume they are going to insist on meeting you and I just want you to be prepared. You know how Howard's mother is -well my step-mother could give her a run for her money."

"Hmm, I see the reason for your apprehension."

Amy nodded.

"Is there something else that's bothering you about this though? You never speak about your father or this horrific step-mother. What else is it you're not telling me?"

"I think our dinners done." Amy turned to the stove reaching for the pan. "Can you hand me that dish?"

He met her eyes in challenge. "I know what you're doing. Changing the subject is not going to work with me." He handed her the dish.

"I'm not changing the subject." Amy took their dinner to the table. "Will you grab the drinks, please?"

They both sat down and once they each had taken what they liked a silence permeated the room. Half way through it she still had not said anything. He raised his eyebrows and looked at her. "Okay, so we're going to play a game. It's called 'Sheldon gets to know this secret side if his fiancée.' The rules are simple, I ask the questions and you answer. You ready?"

"Fine." She gave him a jaundiced look and stabbed at the food on her plate.

"Good." He sat back and crossed his arms. "You never mention your father, yet you lived with him and your step-mother what I'm assuming is a substantial amount of time. Where are they now?"

She swirled the wine in her glass. "Well my step-mother Brenda lives in New York and my father resides in Mount Zion Cemetery where he's been for the last seventeen years."

His spaghetti laden fork stopped in midair. Shaking himself from his stupor he said, "I'm sorry that was phrased insensitively."

She shook her head. "You didn't know."

"Did you and your father not get along?"

"He worked for a large corporation that regularly sent him out on business trips. So he wasn't really around enough for us to establish any real father daughter connection. My time was mostly spent with Brenda."

Sheldon put down his fork. "Why have you never mentioned this?"

"Because it not something I like to talk about. Sheldon, as much as we know about one another, you have to admit when it comes to our feelings and digging deep into our pasts, we've never really gotten to that particular place in our relationship." A soft smile lit her face. "It's not a bad thing; it's just another dimension to us that we have yet to unveil, that's all."Amy took another bite of her meal to cover her discomfort and frowning, followed it with a large swig of her wine.

"I see."

For years he realized now that he'd pushed this connection between them away. Even though assuring himself that that particular side of his selfish nature was gone now when it came to Amy, it hurt, and it broke his heart. She had every right to feel this way and he would just have to get over it. Lowering his head he concentrated on his meal.

What truly saddened him was that she didn't feel like she could talk about this before. Their monthly date night with her had been always been a secret highlight, but what did he really ever get from them? He'd missed it. He'd missed out on the opportunity to really get to know her. And that was going to stop right now.

Taking a sip of is yoo-hoo, he tried to swallow past the lump in his throat and plastering a smile on his face, he looked up at her.

Her brow was furrowed and there was a look of wary concern in her eyes. "I think I'm finished." He gave a wry smile. "You eat and I'll clean up."

Amy frowned. "Sheldon, I didn't mean to upset you."

Sheldon shook his head. "No, Amy you're right. We have never really talked about this and it's mostly my fault. I'm not under any false pretenses that our relationship has been ever been easy and that we… that _I_ have been the most receptive, especially when it came to knowing your family. Perhaps if I actually accompanied you to your reunion a couple years ago we might have saved ourselves this conversation now?"

She raised her eyebrows at him and stifled a laugh. "I didn't even think of that." She'd forgotten about it. It was the weekend the boys decided to have their game night.

She looked at his frowning face. That was almost three years ago now. So many years and so much time.

She smiled. "Sheldon, its fine. We got passed that long ago."

Dragging his gaze away from her, he tried to cover his unease by downing another large gulp of his yoo-hoo. He watched her now as she tried to avoid his gaze.

She was there for him every day and he'd push her away. He wasn't sure why exactly, but her discomfort worried him. There was this disturbing niggle that distracted him and made him want to take her in his arms and reassure her... but of of what though? His problem was that he couldn't just turn off his feelings to protect her now that they'd been exposed. He wasn't built that way. The brave and beautiful woman he loved was distressed and it didn't sit easily with him.

Sheldon grabbed her glass of wine and his yoo-hoo. "Come on, let's go and sit on the couch. I'll give you a hand tidying this up later."

She nodded and then followed him to the couch where she plonked herself at one end. She was holding her glass in both hands, and her hair was a little disheveled. She'd taken off her cardigan and kicked off her shoes, and after wiggling back into the cushions, she tucked her feet up underneath her. He smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" She smiled back.

"Just that this is all so familiar but different."

"It is." She quirked an eyebrow and grinned saucily. "And I thought we were going to go bed early tonight?"

"Yes, and we will… but first why don't you tell me about your family?" He was enjoying this Amy, the smart and sassy woman who stirred him. However, they needed to finish the former conversation first Before she tried to escape it permanently.

She frowned and shrugged. "Okay, well there's not much left to tell. My step-mother and half sister live in New York, I haven't seen either of them since my college graduation when Brenda made a lovely speech about my lack of suitors and leaving behind faith for science would ultimately leave me awkward and alone for the rest of my life."

Sheldon's jaw clenched. How could people be so cruel? "That must have been hard."

"You think?" She looked at him for a moment and then shrugged and crossed her arms. "I got over it."

He cocked his head to the side. "Are you sure? I'm sensing there are some residual feelings there."

Her eyes had widened slightly so he knew he was on the right track. "Not bad for guess work."

"Guessing has nothing to do with it."

"Oh, yeah! So now you're going to tell me that you're a mind reader."

"No, but I know your mind and I know the sort of feelings you carry around for the people you love."

"Do you now?" She was getting angry.

Sheldon sighed at that. "Why are you getting upset with me?"

It was her turn to sigh. "I'm sorry, but I just don't want to have this conversation anymore."

"Fine, if that's what you'd like, but I don't understand why you're getting so defensive." He stood up from the couch. He was finding this conversation quite arduous on his nerves, but it seemed she wasn't going to be so easily calmed. "Tell me what is wrong."

"Why? It won't fix a thing!" She stood now and began pacing. "It won't change all those years of never measuring up. Of being the awkward little brainy girl who was never pretty enough. I loved her and once my dad died she sent me back to my mother. I was never good enough. It was all about Chandra. It was never about me." Her eyes flashed. "Are you happy now, Sheldon?"

"No, no I'm not."

She tears filled her eyes as he walked slowly to up her. "Don't," she whispered, fighting the tears that had already begun to fall.

He brought his hands up and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, meeting her broken gaze with an open look of his own. "I'm sorry."

Unable to contain the emotion, her face began to crumple and she tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her go. She made a strange hiccupping sound and felt tears burn in her eyes.

Sheldon didn't hesitate and before she could gulp back a second sob, he wrapped his arms around her. A small voice in the back of his mind bleated a glaring warning that this step-mother would never get the chance to hurt her again, if he had anything to do with it. However, he ignored his inner mantra because Amy needed his comfort now.

"I'm sorry, Amy."

She shook her head against his chest, and gripped him tighter. He held her, gently stroking his hands up and down her back as he tried to soothe her. She was distressed, deeply so, and he could feel the tension all through her body.

As adverse as he was to tears and emotional displays of any kind, this was Amy. He trusted her with his heart and more importantly, she trusted him with hers. He would never judge or hold any moment of weakness against her.

Her tears didn't last long; however, he couldn't bring himself to pull away. With her head nestled against his shoulder, the reassuring breathing under his ear and the warmth her scent lulled him; he closed his eyes and held on tight.

He tried to resist but her nearness, concentrating instead on comforting and soothing hum of words he whispered in her ear to assure her. Before he knew what she was doing, her mouth was seeking his; her lips dragging along his jaw as her hands slid over his shoulders and into his hair. She pressed her body hard against him as her sadness seemed to tip seamlessly into arousal. With little more than a groan, Sheldon surrendered to the heat of her body and wrapped himself around her.

Amy whimpered into his mouth as he deepened the kiss but his lips remained soft and pliant, his hands stroking her back and sides firmly but with such reverence. They'd both given each other so much power and trust; it filled his heart to full. He couldn't have loved or wanted her more.

It was love and it had been for a very long time. Before he was a fool to pretend it was anything else. The realization gave him courage and as she weaved her fingers through his hair, he changed angles and pulled her mouth to his for a deeper kiss. There was nothing tentative about this and Sheldon threw himself into it, body and soul.

The staggered to the bedroom and with as much grace as he could muster while still kissing, they stripped off their clothes and tumbled onto the bed in a tangle of limbs.

His hands continued their gentle caresses and, humming his approval; he cupped her breasts and pressed open mouthed kisses to the space between where her heart hammered against his lips.

Amy wrapped her legs around his hips, urging him closer but as he hovered over, he held her gaze, her eyes dark. She took his face between her hands, and told him that she loved him.

His whole body trembled and for a brief moment tears stung in his eyes. He took her lips in another searing kiss that burned its way right into his heart and as he entered her, he whispered against her lips that he loved her too.

She arched up into him; the fullness, warmth and feel of her body as it pressed against his had him gasping and straining for more. Making love to Amy was all he had ever imagined. It was the culmination of all their years together, all their frustration and laughter, every argument and harsh word, the many moments of quiet unity, every battle of wills and times of affection, each discovery and breakthrough.

Much later, she looked up at him from her place curled up against his chest and she told him of Chandra and her step mother. About growing up and how much she admired her sister, mother and father. There were stories about school, how much she loved being the big sister, and at the death of her father, how she was abruptly sent back to Glendale to live with her mother.

She finally fell asleep curled up in Sheldon's arms.


	20. Chapter 20

**_Note: I am very very sorry for the delay. Tuesday night seemed to knock the wind out of me for a bit. However, with a renewed sense of purpose for season 8, I'm ready to go. Let's do this! _**

* * *

Chapter 20

Amy rolled over, her arm reaching across the bed only to find it empty. She stretched and checked the time 6:30. It was early but it caught her by surprise; she felt so rested. Sleep hadn't been high on the agenda the few previous nights. The thought of last night made her smile.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up the distinctive aroma of freshly brewed coffee and at the same time, heard Sheldon's footsteps in the kitchen. She got up. Putting on her robe, she opened bedroom door and was surprised to find the table with a gloriously full pot of coffee and various other breakfast essentials.

She smiled. His back was to her as he made toast. She crept up behind him and wrapping her arms around his middle, she said, "Good morning."

He turned in her arms and leaned down to kiss her. "Good morning, did you sleep well?"

"I did. Very well and it's all because of you."

He looked puzzled. "I don't see how I had anything to do with it."

"You were there for me, listened to me, held me." She shrugged. "So thank you for being you, and for loving me, in spite of everything."

"I could say the same thing."

She nodded, "Yes, you could."

"You're welcome." He told her as she hugged him to her. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes." Amy nodded pulling away, as she reached for a coffee, snatching it from his hand almost before he'd finished pouring it.

"Patience, little lady." He huffed and smiled. "Have some toast or Danish at least."

"I will. Later."

"You know that coffee is not a food group, Amy."

"Okay, I will have some toast." She took a sip, her eyes closing in delight as the bitter brew slid over her tongue and warmed her all the way to her toes. "Mmm, that is so good."

His eyebrows rose. "When you go to work this morning, you might want to check yourself over for some addiction behaviors."

Amy chuckled grabbing a sugar donut from the kitchen table. "My only addiction, Dr. Cooper, is you." She waggled her eyebrows and took a bite of the donut.

He leant forward, kissed the taste of sugar from her lips and then smiling took the donut. "I take I back, no more sugar for you. You're obviously filled to the brim with it."

She frowned, puzzled for a moment before she grasped what he was saying. "Oh, whatever." She laughed. "Give me the donut."

Sheldon chuckled and took a bite of it. "Nope. Toast is better for you."

Leaning forward, causing them to tip precariously, she kissed him. "I have to take a shower anyways."

"Make sure you save me some hot water."

Her smile broadened. Amy raised an eyebrow and pointed towards the bathroom. "Do you really want to take the chance you might not have any? If we shared..." She let her thought trail off as she walked out of his sight.

He pondered that a moment and shook his head. "No one ever accused Sheldon Cooper of being stupid." He followed behind her shedding his robe on the way. A squeal of laughter came from Amy just before the bathroom door closed.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, his face softened; for the first time in months he was happy. The feeling of relief, and the delight at his own self-acceptance, filled him with a sense of assurance. He was at peace with himself at last and he had Amy by his side forever. He smiled at the simple joy of just that thought. After shaking himself from his thoughts he found himself at his destination and knocked his characteristic knock on the door.

Leonard opened up the door and peaked out. "Oh hey, Sheldon. What's up?"

Stepping inside the room, he said, "I was hoping if you weren't busy, if I could get you to take me out to run an errand."

He looked up at his friend confused and said, "I can, but wouldn't you rather have Amy take you?"

"Actually, that's the reason I'm here; you see I need to get something for her."

"Oh okay sure. You want to go right now?"

"If it's alright, yes." He smiled at him, grateful for his support. "But I have to get you to swear to secrecy on our friendship, you will not blab to Penny or anyone else until the purpose it fulfilled. "

"Okay... Yeah, I promise."

"Noooo. You have to swear it. Swear it on our friendship."

He'd looked at Sheldon then, but his face was as inscrutable as ever. Leonard rolled his eyes. "I swear on our friendship."

"Good," Sheldon said. "Now let's get going."

"All right. What's so important anyways?"

"I need to get a ring."

Leonard stopped in his tracks. There were a few heartbeats of silence and then Leonard cracked a wry smile and quirked eyebrow. "Like an engagement ring?"

Sheldon gave him a quick nod. Standing tall, he said, "While we were away I asked Amy to marry me. We would have spoken about it sooner but she did not want to overshadow Howard and Bernadette's news."

"Wow, Sheldon that's… Congratulations!" A smiled widened Leonard's face. He held out his arms and raised his eyebrows at Sheldon.

Taking the hint, he shook his head, but embraced his friend quickly. They both sobered for a moment, and then Sheldon smiled."Thank you, Leonard."

Leonard swung into action grabbing his keys and all but pushing Sheldon out the door. "Okay, let's go." They ducked out of the room and closed the door behind them and with a determined stride; Sheldon marched through the hall doors towards his future.

* * *

A few days later, Amy was dismayed as she stood in the middle of her new bedroom, looking at all the stuff that needed to be put away.

"You look lost," Sheldon said as he came into the room.

"Sheldon!" Amy felt her disposition improve immediately. "I'm so glad you're here. Wait, why aren't you at work?"

Sheldon shrugged. "I thought you might like some help."

Shaking her head, Amy said, "Oh, no, no, no. I know that look in your eyes, and I'm telling you now, this is my half of the room and I need to organize it to suit me."

"But I have great organization skills."

"So? I do too."

"You know that the first time you put things away, you're going to be reorganizing it anyway, so why not just let me help you make it user-friendly from the start."

"All right." Amy said with a sigh as she gestured to the living room. "Go grab some more boxes and organize something."

"Thanks Amy! You're the best!"

"Yeah, yeah," Amy mumbled as she put some books on the self next to Sheldon's.

An hour later he brought a couple boxes into the bedroom. "What do you have in all of these?"

Amy shrugged. "Mostly books, I think."

"You think?" Sheldon opened one of the boxes. "Didn't we talk about properly organizing and labeling the boxes?"

"I was sure I did." She glanced at him before placing a neurology text on the bedside table in front of the window. He was acting a little nervous and distracted. "I'll go through those, Sheldon. Don't worry about them."

"What's this?" He held out a small blue box in his hand. Amy froze, as she looked up him. A tiny sliver of a smirk graced his lips.

"Sheldon?" she whispered. She knew what he held in his hand. And she knew they were already engaged, but as silly as it was, it still took her breath away.

He stepped to up her and taking a breath she watched as he opened it, only to a smaller box from it. Amy held her breath, as he opened it, but gasped out loud when she saw it. It was elegant platinum setting with a single princess cut diamond.

Sheldon took the ring from inside its setting and then took her left hand. As he slipped the ring on her finger, tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I know you wanted to wait to tell everyone, but I am first and foremost a traditionalist, and I couldn't wait any longer for you to have this." Sheldon held her gaze for a long moment before he took her lips in a soul-wrenching kiss. He eventually pulled away, leaving her breathless but his eyes never wavered from hers.

She cupped his jaw to bring his face up and said, "Kiss me again."

Their lips touched in a soft, warm kiss that spread a surprising chill through her body. Although simple, it felt like a confirmation of life.

Still close his forehead touched hers, Amy whispered, "This feels like a dream."

"Do you want me to pinch you?"

Her eyes dancing with joy, she replied, "No, I want you to marry me and live happily ever after."

"You've got a deal."


	21. Chapter 21

**_Note: It's short, I know and I am very sorry. More to come very soon, I promise. _**

* * *

Amy rolled over, pressing her body against Sheldon's warmth. They'd fallen asleep again after a vigorous and energetic round of shower sex early this morning and Amy now draped her leg over Sheldon's thighs and pressed herself into his hip; and she sighed as she snuggled closer. The warmth of his smooth skin and the heady scent of his body, she had no self-control where he was concerned.

Sheldon's hand slid down over her hip, moving eagerly towards its goal when there was a loud hammering on the door. Amy's eyes snapped open and she looked up into the startled gaze of her fiancée.

Thanks to Leonard, most of the people they knew, and many they didn't, were aware that they now lived together. Surely they wouldn't… "What the…"

Sheldon shook his head and then they both looked at one another as a scarily familiar voice bellowed from the hall. "Sheldon, get out of bed!"

Sheldon sat up and yelled. "Go away, Leonard. It's the weekend."

There was a moment's pause and then Leonard's voice was low as he answered. "I suggest you get out here right now."

Sheldon gave Amy a concerned look.

"What's going on?"

"I have no idea."

Sighing, Amy planted a warm kiss on his lips and, after looking longingly at his body, slid out of bed. "Well it's all rather rude."

While Leonard continued knocking, Amy hunted around for something to wear. "We'll be right out," She called, grabbing one of Sheldon's shirts from the night before she pulled it on.

Sheldon quickly rolled out of bed after her and pulled on a pair of pants, and a couple shirts.

Amy made it to the door, just as the knocking started again. She pulled it opened expecting to see Leonard but was confronted by Mary Cooper herself.

The older woman hugged her quickly and kissed her cheek. "Well now, hello dear. I was about to organize this lot out here to kick the door in. Shelly, I expect to see you and Amy out here just as soon as you're decent. We've got a lot to talk about."

"Mom, good lord, what the…?!"

Amy didn't know where to look or what to do. She snatched at her shirt, attempting to tug it lower and make sure that it was covering everything that it should.

Mary breezed past Amy to shoo her back inside the door and took the handle.

As a stunned Amy and Sheldon watched, Mary began to close the door. She frowned and wagged her finger at her. "Amy, you're not really dressed for guests, perhaps you should go and put on something more appropriate."

Amy was about to point out the fact that she was perfectly presentable for the activities she had planned for the afternoon, before they were so rudely interrupted, but she looked across the room and caught her Mary's frown.

Once the door closed, Sheldon turned to Amy. "I am going to give you a blanket apology now to cover anything and everything my mother may do this afternoon. Are you sure you're ready to be part of the Cooper clan?"

Amy smiled at him. "Absolutely."

Sheldon pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry. I have a feeling this isn't going to be very pleasant –for either of us"

"It'll be okay."

Sheldon stepped away from Amy, and she rummaged for some more appropriate clothes. She finished up wearing a flowered button up shirt and her favorite jean dress – once they were both fully dressed, they joined their guest.

"Amy, at last we get to meet!"

Amy's eyes open wide in surprise as she was enveloped in a tight embrace by none other than Sheldon's twin sister Missy. "Look who I brought with me." Missy was holding her young infant. "Here you go, Sean say hello to your aunt Amy."

Missy placed the young boy in Amy's arms and grinned unashamedly at Sheldon, giving him the thumbs up.

Making a face, Sheldon rolled his eyes. "Missy, what are you doing here?"

Laughing, she pulled her brother into a hug. "I've missed you, Shelly."

Missy pulled back and looked at Amy, her eyes twinkling with delight as she noticed the ring on Amy's finger. "Well I'll be. It looks as if our Shelly-bean is getting married."

The look on Sheldon's face told the story and Mary shook her head.


End file.
